Run, Mickey, Run!
by Exagie
Summary: What does Gowland do when he can't get his kids to leave him alone? Send them to Disney World! Of course, as these teens gain rivals and allies at the resort, it's not the teens in danger, but the park!  AU
1. Circle of Life

**Run, Mickey, Run!**

_Through with having them drive him crazy during the summer, Gowland sends his daughter Alice, her brother Ace, and his nephew Boris to Disney World on a vacation to get them out his hair and gather information for his job. Forcing their friend Julius along, the group sets off for the paradise. But, as these kids gain rivals and allies from other teens at their resort, it's not if the kids can survive the park, but if the park can survive these teens!_

**1. Circle of Life**

"_Please keep a single file line as you board the plane, and have a pleasant trip." _

The static voice of speakers around the black plush chairs in the waiting room for Southeast Airlines welcomed the only four teens that were forced against their will to wake up at 3AM and get a ride from a man in a bright yellow jacket to come down there and begin their summer vacation. How he could afford this, none of them knew, but most of the kids were excited about getting there, so it didn't entirely matter. Of course, it wasn't like they really asked for this. The lovely brunette that was hauling both her and her brother's baggage towards the flying machinery just through the blue-floored tunnel before her could recall the conversation well.

* * *

"_ACE!" her father's voice could be heard in echoes around_ _the yellow-paneled, three-story building that the brunette called home. Alice flinched from her bedroom, sighing as she set her Lewis Carroll novel on her nightstand and peeked outside. She wasn't surprised to see an older brunette male snickering as he strode confidently from her father's office; a large, goofy grin plastered to his face._

"_Chill out, dad. It's no big deal." the boy assured, waving a hand towards the office. Gowland's face popped out; blue eyes set in a glare on the ruby-eyed man. _

"_No big deal?" Gowland growled, shoving his braid away from his face; his yellow jacket nearly blinding Alice as she quietly spied on the two. "You RUINED my invention! I have to bring this in by Monday and you DESTROYED it!"_

"_Aww, come on. I didn't mean to- honest! I thought it was an alarm clock." Ace defended himself, his crimson eyes playful and not the least bit guilty._

Ace… _Alice thought warningly, shaking her head. Her older brother was too laid back. Did he even have a conscious anymore?_

_She could see her father boiling now; his face red with anger. "What alarm clock is four foot high with arms?"_

_Ace shrugged. "It probably didn't work anyways. I probably did you a favor. Don't worry- you can thank me later."_

"_THANK YOU? !" Gowland shouted, and Ace grinned._

"_You're welcome!" he answered, gleefully walking downstairs and away from the vein about to pop in Gowland's head. She had to calm him down; that's what mother would have done. That is, if she was still alive._

_Cautiously, Alice stepped out from her bedroom and made her way to the office, gaining her father's attention. Before she could say anything, Gowland fumed, stomping his foot on the floor like a child in a tantrum. "That boy is a nuisance! I'll grind him up in one my inventions one day!"_

"_Dad, calm down." Alice instructed softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get a headache."_

"_Too late." he muttered, rubbing a spot on his head. Alice sighed, leading him into the office and opening one of the small cabinet doors under a very untidy bookshelf that was filled with blueprints and mechanic books. She pulled out a small pill bottle and handed it to the man._

"_I'll get you some water." she offered, heading for the doorway._

"_Make it wine." Gowland replied with a nod, plopping down uneasily into the blue wheeled chair at his desk and examining what once was a giant chipmunk that you would see in theme park attractions that had now been smashed to bits and stabbed quite a few times. There was no way Ace would have thought that was an alarm clock- he may be idiotic, but he wasn't _that _stupid… At least, she hoped._

_Alice stepped out of the room, scurrying downstairs and into the wide, open kitchen; her destination being one of the many white cupboards that were pressed against an olive green wall in the back. As she did so, she caught sight of her seventeen-year-old cousin watching a child's movie in the living room and her brother perched up on one of the stools in front of the large, black table across from the several kitchen countertops._

"_Why did you kill the chipmunk?" Alice asked bluntly, grabbing a wine glass from the cabinet and raising an eyebrow at her brother. _

_Ace seemed to have been in a deep thought as he stared at his reflection on the table, because he jumped at the sound of her voice. A false smile spread across his face as he turned towards his sister. "I didn't like it." "That doesn't mean you can kill it." Alice hissed, grabbing a wine bottle from the cabinet and opening it up. Ace shrugged carelessly, and Boris raised his head from the TV to stare at his cousins._

"_He killed a chipmunk?" the pink-haired teen asked, tilting his head to the side; his topaz eye lit up with amusement and curiosity. Alice narrowed her eyes at him. Boris was one of her closest relatives, and had moved in six years ago when his parents died in a car accident. Alice's sisters were also killed in that accident- they had been visiting Boris's family for Christmas and planned to come home late and meet up with Boris there. It was shocking what damage drunk drivers could do._

"_It's not funny." Alice said, pouring the red liquid into the glass carefully. "He's really working on this ride. He chose to work at home so he could spend time with us, but if you keep destroying his projects, he's going to get fired."_

_Ace pouted; somewhat torn. "Does that mean I won't be able to take anymore katana lessons?" Alice groaned; pressing a hand against her forehead._

"_Really, Ace! That katana is the reason half of his projects are killed in the first place!" Alice exclaimed, her tone exhausted and annoyed. "If you ask me, he should get rid of the katana altogether!"_

"_If I have to get rid of my katana, then Boris has to get rid of his pistols." Ace said dully, jabbing a thumb at the teen. Boris's eye widened and he shook his head._

"_Hey, don't drag me into this! I'm not the one that has to target practice on Uncle Gowland's work!" he defended himself._

"_Yes, because target practicing with pistols _outside of the window _is _so _much better." Alice replied sarcastically, placing the wine bottle away. She glanced over her cousin's shoulder curiously, staring at the cartoon figures on the screen. "What are you watching, anyways?"_

"_The Lion King." Boris replied with an excited, childlike grin. "I haven't seen this thing since I was a kid." _

_Alice chuckled, smiling gently at him before returning the wine upstairs to her father. _

_Gowland sat hunched over his blueprints; a hand gripping his hair in frustration while a fist was settled on the paper. Alice sighed, placing the wine in front of him to gain his attention. _

"_You know, kiddo, I think I'd be better off this summer without _him_ here." Gowland mused, and Alice raised an eyebrow, her stomach tying in knots._

"_What do you mean?" she asked, her heart skipping a beat. Was he seriously considering murdering his own son?_

_Gowland didn't answer for a moment; his fingers merely straying to the busted chipmunk. He brushed against its broken insides, and several sparks flew from inside; forcing Gowland to snatch his hand away before it got burned and Alice to stumble backwards into a pile of blueprints. Two small squeaks for screams escaped their throats from the actions, and Gowland glared at it, quickly turning to Alice. He held out a hand to help her up, which she quickly took, allowing her father to lead her downstairs and into the open space between the living room and kitchen._

"_THAT'S IT! YOU-" Gowland pointed at Ace accusingly. "YOU-" This time he strayed to Boris. "AND YOU." He pointed at Alice this time, and the female gulped. "I'M SENDING YOU THREE AWAY! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! NEXT WEEK, YOU'RE GONE FOR THREE WEEKS AND THAT'S FINAL!"_

* * *

"Need any help with those bags?"

Alice glanced up at Julius Monrey; his long, navy locks cascading down his face and into a loose ponytail that reached his calves. He wore a thin, gray sweatshirt that reached to his elbows and a pair of jeans. He was a few years older than her sixteen years age, and both she and Ace's best friend.

"No thanks." Alice smiled warmly at the man before tossing the bags overtop the chairs, hiding them in the compartments above. Julius nodded solemnly, not looking very thrilled for the trip. She couldn't blame him- he'd had a fear of coasters since he was little.

Carefully, Alice slid into the window seat, watching as Ace dragged Julius to the seat behind and Boris slipped in next to Alice. At least Ace and Boris looked excited. Of course, they were going to Disney World! Why wouldn't they be excited?

* * *

"_So… where are we going?" Boris asked that evening at dinner, poking at his vegetables with a disgusted look on his face. He shoved the carrots aside, wishing they were fish._

"_Haven't decided yet. An amusement park, though." Gowland replied, sipping at his wine. Boris and Ace's eyes lit up excitedly, while Alice eyed her father skeptically._

"_An amusement park?" Ace asked curiously, his crimson eyes reeling in pleasant thoughts. "Any ideas?"_

_Gowland shrugged. "It's not a free trip for you kids, though. You're going there on business. I want nightly updates on the rides- what seems boring, what seems fun, what kids like, what adults like, and so on."_

"_So we're going for three weeks?" Boris asked, completely disregarding his words. He seemed too excited for much words. Gowland nodded._

"_I have a deadline by then. I'll pick you kids up from wherever I send you afterwards." Gowland replied._

"_Can I choose where we go?" Ace asked deviously, and Gowland immediately shook his head._

"_Last time I gave you a choice, you chose to go to a strip club." the inventor growled, glaring at his son. Ace looked unfazed by this._

"_Then what about me?" Boris asked, and Gowland shook his head again._

"_You were the one that _snuck _him into the strip club." the man replied, and Boris pouted. "I'm letting Alice decide this time."_

"_Me?" Alice asked, confused; gesturing a hand towards herself. Gowland smiled and nodded._

"_You're the only kid I can trust." he replied with a determined nod. "You and Julius, that is. Besides, I'm sure you'll give me those reports."_

"_Um, okay." Alice replied, racking her brain for ideas. Where was a place she really wanted to go; an amusement park? There wasn't many she really thought about? Except, maybe… Glancing at the blank TV screen, Alice gave herself a confident nod and said, "Disney World."_

_Boris and Ace's eyes lit up at this, and Gowland pondered the idea. "That _is _a pretty big park… Lots of rides… Lots of reports… Why, girl you're a genius! It's settled- you kids go to Disney World and leave me alone!"_

* * *

"Julius, we should ride Splash Mountain first when we get there!" Ace exclaimed in a hushed whisper from behind Alice and Boris, grinning at his friend. "Then maybe Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? We should do all of them! Wait- no! Let's start with that yeti ride!" He sounded like a kid on Christmas morning. Alice chuckled.

"How did I get dragged into this?" Julius moaned to no one in particular, and Alice could almost see him press a hand against his face as if to block out his friend's voice. That's right; Julius was never meant to go in the first place. Alice _did_ wonder how Ace convinced him to tag along. Julius wasn't exactly one to give in easily to things like this. Perhaps it would just be another mystery; like one of those circle of life kind of things.

Alice let out a sigh, resting her head against the cool window glass. Boris glanced at his cousin before grinning softly at her, leaning back in his own chair and preparing for sleep as the plane took off.

* * *

…**I procrastinate on The Game of Mistletoe, and **_**this**_** is what I write. I'm kind of surprised that I haven't seen many- if any at all- family fictions like this. You know; where the characters are related to each other. **

**I love the idea of characters- any characters, really- going to Disney World. I have no idea why, but the idea appeals to me easily. I can't help but have a loving, soft spot for it. XD *shrug***

**In case you guys couldn't tell, this takes place in a modern day and relates practically nothing to the game/manga plot. No rabbit holes, no animal ears/tails (though, there WILL be ones later on; not real ones, though), no clocks for hearts (OMIGOD IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD O_O), no random shape shifting guns… You get my point. The ages in this for everyone except Gowland are all 15-23. Ace is about 20, Julius is 21, Boris is 17, and Alice is 16.**

**I hope you're enjoying the story so far! The chapter titles are actually going to be songs from Disney movies that I feel fit in with the chapter. I guess I'll see you all later- bye~! *dives into rabbit hole***


	2. So This Is Love

**2. So This Is Love**

"_Alice, it's time to wake up. Alice, wake up."_

A stern voice echoed gently through the brunette's ears, but she allowed her eyelids to remained close. Just a little more sleep wouldn't hurt, right? She was awfully tired, after all.

"_Alice~. Alice~. Time to wake up." _Another voice said, but Alice ignored it, trying her best to fall back asleep. She could hear a soft moan escape her throat, but disregarded it as she nestled deeper into the window seat of the airplane. Two annoyed and disappointed sighs were heard around her.

"_Hold on guys. I got this."_ No. She knew this voice. He wouldn't dare…

She felt a presence against her face; lips at her ear. She tried to push it aside, but there was no ignoring the sudden shout that forced her eyelids open. "ALICE WAKE THE HELL UP!" A high, shrill scream escaped the girls throat as she bolted upright; her turquoise eyes wide with fright. She clutched the front of her white Minnie Mouse t-shirt tightly, as if to protect her racing heartbeat. When she settled, a glare pierced at her brother; her tone muttering a growl. "Ace."

"Hey, you slept the entire flight." the man defended himself, yanking the bags from the compartments over the seats and tossing a blue duffle on his younger sibling. "Don't blame this whole thing on me."

"You didn't have to _scream in my ear._" she hissed, slinging the bag over her shoulder before following Julius and Boris out of the airplane. "Now hurry up. You'll get lost again."

The man followed quickly behind, admiring the shiny, bright airport of Orlando, Florida. At some parts, the ceiling was made of glass; displaying the beauty of the southern country. Boris took a whiff of the air, enjoying the scent.

"We have to get on this transit thing, right?" Alice asked, glancing from left to right. Julius nodded, leading the way. The others followed behind quickly; their eyes lit up in amazement at the fresh airport around them. If the _airport_ was this exciting, just imagine the park!

"Take in the sight guys." Ace said, smiling in satisfaction as he passed a rather cute group of young ladies. "We won't be back here for another three weeks."

"I'm still trying to figure out how the old man could afford it." Boris said, more to himself than to anyone in particular. Alice shrugged, chuckling.

"Does it really matter? We're here!" Ace exclaimed, spinning in a circle to gesture around him. Alice grabbed his hand, tugging him forward.

"We don't want you getting lost in the airport." she murmured. Ace gave her a clueless look as she yanked him around a bend. The four teens paused, tilting their heads to the side as they viewed the transit.

"That it?" Boris asked, and all eyes turned to Julius. The navy-haired man nodded, leading the way once again. They paused at the stop and waited patiently for the vehicle to pause, allowing them to board. Alice took a seat in the back, resting her head against the wall. Boris plopped down next to her, and Julius stood at her left; one hand gripping an orange handle from the ceiling and his eyes speculating her.

"Don't fall asleep again." He warned, and Alice stared at him with slight annoyance.

"Don't worry, I won't." she assured him, lifting her head from the wall and taking a small yawn; blinking a few times to keep herself awake. Ace stood in front of the three, holding nothing. Her eyebrows pushed into a v-shape as she viewed her brother. "Ace, grab onto something."

"Huh? Why?" the brunette asked in confusion, and Alice swore he was born blonde.

"You're going to get hurt if you don't." she explained, pointing to a sticker on the side of the transit. Ace shrugged carelessly, smirking.

"No I won't." he boasted, all four friends ignoring the white-haired teen that stepped onto the transit; round-rimmed glasses pressed in front of crimson eyes, and a red plaid T-shirt over dark brown jeans. His hair was cut choppily, but just a little past his chin. A large red duffle rested over his shoulder, and he scoffed at the foolish brunette man; gripping an orange handle bar on the opposite side of them.

"Ace, you're going to fall at least." Alice pointed out, and Ace shook his head; that wide, pearly grin never escaping his lips. Alice sighed, rolling her eyes and ignored him.

"You're an idiot." Julius muttered from the side, eyeing his friend. Ace laughed.

"Haha! That's not nice!" he replied, but laughed and smiled nonetheless.

When the vehicle started moving, Ace was proven wrong. As soon as it began zooming on the track, the brunette fell over- almost on top of his sister- and stumbled backwards when Boris pushed him away; clutching onto a nearby pole for support. Boris laughed, while Julius and Alice bit back smirks.

"I told you so." Alice taunted teasingly. "You should listen to me more often."

The ride was quick and silent; Ace clutching onto a pole for dear life, Julius silently analyzing his friends and the separate guest, Alice admiring the view outside, and Boris just being… well, Boris.

When it stopped, Ace was the first out; bolting as fast as he could from the vehicle.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Boris called, chasing after his cousin.

"Stupid Knight." Julius muttered, referring to the boy's middle name as he chased after the two. Alice jumped off of her seat, eyes wide with worry of being left behind.

"Wait, guys! Don't leave without me!" she called, hardly noticing the man that was also heading for the exit. As both scurried to leave, they clashed outside of the train; his glasses falling to the floor as he collapsed to his knees, while Alice fell onto her knees as well; scraping them up a little as her duffle skidded to the side.

"Damn it! Watch where you're going." the white-haired teen growled, and Alice's eyes widened as she snatched her duffle before turning to the man, filling his ears with several apologies that he paid no heed to. His hand brushed lightly around the floor around him, and Alice spotted what he was looking for.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry!" the brunette apologized, carefully picking up his glasses. Lucky for her and him, they were undamaged. "I really, really am! Here- I have your glasses."

The man lifted his head; his crimson eyes glaring into the blurry figure in front of him. He could hear a girl's voice, but it looked like nothing else but that idiotic man he'd seen stumble about the vehicle earlier.

Carefully, Alice slid the glasses onto his face, positioning them in place and praying he wouldn't be angered. Now seeing the girl clearly, the man's crimson eyes softened; his lips parting slightly as he took her in. He hadn't even noticed her on the vehicle- Ace was blocking the way- but now that he could see her…

She was beautiful.

A blush painted her face as worried, teal eyes stared back into his. It took the man a minute but he finally said, "It's… fine. Thank you."

Alice sighed in relief, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. The white-haired teen stared at her lips, waiting for a sign of happiness to form. Instead, her eyes widened again, and she quickly stood up and snatched her duffle, leaving the man dazed on the floor.

"I'm sorry- really, I am! I have to go find my brother, though!" she apologized, and the teen bolted quickly to his feet; grasping one of her hands before she could run.

"I'm Peter. Peter White." he said, his tone stern, but also breathless. Alice couldn't quite detect what emotion was behind it, but she set it aside.

"It's nice to meet you, Peter." This time, the smile that taunted his thoughts formed across her face, and he felt a strange twinge of relief; something he'd never felt before. "I'm Alice. I'm sorry, but I really have to go find my brother now. I don't want him getting lost."

Unable to speak, Peter released her wrist, allowing the maiden to dart off into the crowd for her sibling. He just stood there; numb. He felt a warmness and a hollowness both crawling under his skin. He'd never felt this way before. Why did he wish he held her wrist longer? Why did he want to say more to her; start a conversation?

As he collected his duffle and slowly continued his way to the buses for the Walt Disney World Resort, Peter could only see her face. Was this normal? Of course not! He'd never cared for anyone or anything but himself, so why did just one thought of this girl eat at him; taunt him?

He'd read about things like these; eating emotions, the feeling of emptiness when she was gone and wholesomeness when she was near. They were all romance novels; pointless books his mother had lying around. Was this what he thought it could be? But, it was far too soon! Weren't there steps to take? Dating, kissing, actually knowing more than just her first name?

His mind wandered to her again, and Peter sighed dreamily, pausing in the middle of the hall to smile softly. There was no denying it; so this was love.

* * *

"Ace!" Alice scolded, stamping her foot noisily when she spotted her older brother waiting at the line for the busses. She panted, closing her eyes softly as she took the chance to catch her breath. "You know better than to run off!"

"Come on, Alice, I'm not five." Ace replied with a skeptical smirk.

Alice glared. "That's the _point!_"

Julius stepped in front of the siblings, showing a piece of paper to the Disney cast members ahead before being shown which line to go to. He gestured them forward, and the three teens followed him through the red-velvet-roped line to Pop Century Resort.

"So we'll toss the stuff in the room, then go to the pool?" Boris suggested, but Ace quickly shook his head.

"No way, we're going to Magic Kingdom first! Right, Julius? We still need to ride Space Mountain!" Ace objected. Julius paled at the thought.

"We'll go to…" Julius tried to think of a park where there weren't any coasters. "EPCOT? We could walk around the showcase for a while…"

"Nah, we could ride Test Track first!" Ace suggested, and Julius paled once again. Alice sighed; it was going to be hard keeping up with Ace.

"How about we just relax in our hotel room for a little bit?" the lone female suggested gently, following the men through the line as they went back outside and boarded the bus; nestling into plush red seats that were at least ten times better than the ones on the airplane. "We have three weeks here; we don't need to do everything at once. Pace yourselves or you'll be bored by tomorrow."

Ace pouted, but took a seat next to Boris as Julius sat next to Alice, refusing to sit through the nonsense of his friend. When the others boarded, the bus started up and took off; a Disney welcoming video playing on a few small TV screens above the seats. As soon as the show began, they knew their vacation had started as well.

**

* * *

**

Wrote this last night, but I wanted to wait a little before I got it out. ^w^;; I don't want to hear complaints about Peter and his love at first sight, though- that's pretty much what happened in the manga (but under different circumstances), so RAWR! DX

**Well, let's start a game of trivia! Can you guess what movie the chapter title song is from?**

**Chapter One's Answer: The Lion King**

**The winner will receive… *looks around in backpack* Um… digital cookies! 8D *sparkly eyes* Because it's so normal to keep digital cookies in my backpack… Hehe. ^w^;;**

**Ace: *pops out of backpack* How about they win me? ;D *wink***

**Me: … *stuffs him back in and zippers his fingers.* No.**

**Ace: That's not nice! D=**

**Me: Don't care. ._.**


	3. Not One of Us

**3. Not One of Us**

A cool, air conditioned atmosphere welcomed the sweating teens as they entered the main lobby of Pop Century Resort; Ace slinking about with winks and smirks to nearby girls, Boris checking out the portraits of the former decades, and Julius and Alice making their way to the check-in desk.

"Ace, why don't you and Boris go watch the movie over there?" Alice suggested, pointing to a side room where colorful round cushions for chairs sat in front of a pale green "TV". She could hear a Disney movie playing in from the other room.

"Come on, Alice. I'm not a little kid." Ace boasted, gesturing a hand towards himself. Alice raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"They're playing The Little Mermaid." she said, still jabbing a thumb to the room. Ace's crimson eyes lit up excitedly and a wide, pleasant grin spread across his face.

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" he asked, quickly grabbing Boris's wrist- startling the punk boy- and tugging him towards the room. Alice chuckled, turning back to Julius in line.

"He's very… youthful." Julius searched for a word to describe his friend, and Alice shrugged, stepping up to the desk.

"It's Disney. You're _supposed_ to bring out your inner child." the brunette teased, smiling up at the man. Julius sighed, eyebrows raising skeptically.

"I don't _have_ an inner child." he answered bluntly.

"You will by the end of this." Alice said determinedly, and Julius sighed, shaking his head.

"Troublesome woman." he mumbled under his breath, pausing their conversation as they reached the desk.

A young woman smiled from behind the counter; her grin wide and white as she greeted them with a warm, "Welcome to Pop Century Resort! Checking in?"

"Yes." Julius replied in a monotone, reaching into his duffle for the papers. He turned to Alice. "Is it under your name or _his?_" He jabbed a thumb to the kids' area where Ace was watching the film eagerly; Boris complaining on how hungry the fish on the screen were making him. The brunette shook her head.

"It should be under Alice Liddell?" she guessed, and the woman behind the counter searched on her computer. Her eyebrows pushed into a v-shape, and Alice felt a knot tie in her stomach. "Is something wrong?"

"Apparently we're overbooked." the woman said unpleasantly, searching through her computer again.

"_What?_" Alice demanded, pressing her arms firmly on the counter. Julius pressed a hand on her shoulder, gently tugging her back, but she ignored him. "Are you sure there's no rooms available? None whatsoever?"

The woman shook her head in false sympathy, scrolling down on her computer. "Not until June 15th."

"But that's not for another three days!" Alice complained. "Where are we going to sleep?"

* * *

"You _have_ to be kidding me." Peter growled, glaring up at the large red and yellow "Pop Century Resort" sign that stood against teal outer walls of the main lobby and its contents. Scurrying crowds with children and adults of all ages ran about; exhausted parents trying to keep up with their little ones and elderly couples admiring the scenery. Workers bustled from bus to bus, trying to keep up with luggage and vacationers. "They sent me on the wrong bus."

This week just wasn't going the way Peter White had planned. His elder half-brother, Elliot March, had explained to him on the phone that there was a family reunion coming up and he didn't have much of a choice but to attend. It wasn't as if he wanted to see any of them anyways; he was very distant from his family. He hated them, they hated him; it was a mutual understanding, and after last Christmas, he thought they'd finally stop bothering him with their nonsense. Of course, that just is never the case, is it?

He didn't even understand why of all people they let _Elliot_ call. The men despised each other. The only person in his family that Peter even gave a _slim_ of a shred of care for was his cousin Vivaldi, but even then he found her an old tyrant that he'd prefer to avoid. The only good thing coming from this whole trip was that he didn't have to pay; his other cousin, Blood Dupre, was. Oh, but that was a negative side, too.

Blood could afford _anything _his cold heart desired. He and Vivaldi were rich, of course, so it was no surprise. Only Peter knew the secret behind it, though; the mafia business Blood ran. He wasn't allowed to speak of it, no, because that would ruin everything for the family. He was tempted to, though; oh how he was tempted… How he wished to see them lose all of their cash and be forced into prison. Perhaps they would understand Peter struggled through on his part time job to pay for the outrageously expensive college text books and food to keep him surviving.

"Stupid reunions. I hate them." Peter hissed, clutching his duffle over his shoulder as he strode into the main lobby, crimson eyes searching for a help desk. He needed to find a way back to his hotel- back to the Contemporary Resort. That idiotic woman at the ropes had pointed him in the wrong direction, and the bus driver simply let him board the entirely wrong vehicle.

He huffed noisily, his eyes straying to the kid's area for a brief moment. In that brief moment he caught sight of Ace and Boris; their eyes locked on the TV. Wait a minute… if Alice's brother was here…

Turning quickly to the check-in, Peter's eyes widened as he took in sight of the brunette at the counter with the navy-haired man from the transit. Her blue eyes held distress, and Peter frowned. What could have her in a state of misery?

Determined to find out, Peter neared the two- briefly glaring at Julius- before turning his attention to Alice. "Is something wrong here?"

"Hmm?" Alice's blue orbs met Peter's crimson ones, and she tilted her head to the side.

"Do you know him?" Julius asked, staring in annoyance at the white-haired teen.

"Um, I think so… Oh! I bumped into you on the transit. You're… Peter, right?" Alice recalled, a small blush caressing her cheeks. "I'm really, _really_ sorry- especially for running off. I had to catch up with my brother." She nodded towards the brunette in the kid's area, but Peter already guessed as much.

"It's fine." Peter assured her, shooting her a quick smile before raising an eyebrow at the secretary. "Is something wrong?"

"You don't need to concern yourself with it. We can handle it." Julius said, navy eyes piercing at Peter, releasing an exhausted sigh from his lips. Peter, however, ignored him.

"I can handle this." Peter assured Alice, smiling proudly at the girl. Alice frowned.

"No, really. You don't have to. It's okay." she objected, but Peter shook his head.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of everything." he insisted, and Alice thought for a moment, pondering. Finally, she sighed.

"Okay, if you really want to…" the brunette murmured, heading towards Ace and Boris. Julius exchanged a quick glare with Peter before following his friend.

"Do you really think it's wise to let a stranger handle this?" the navy-haired man asked skeptically. Alice frowned at her feet, avoiding his gaze.

"Not really, but I don't want to upset him." Alice replied, glancing once at Peter over her shoulder before taking a seat on an orange chair behind Ace. He looked very confident and determined while talking to the secretary; maybe even deadly. The woman looked nervous and frightened. It seemed to prove her point.

"You really _are_ a troublesome woman." Julius said from her side, and Alice stared at him with eyebrows pushed together.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, and Julius shrugged, looking away.

"Hey, you guys have the room keys?" Ace asked, turning around and finally noticing their presence. Boris ignored them and licked his lips hungrily as Flounder popped onto the screen.

"Not exactly…" Alice replied uncomfortably, scratching the back of her head. "I have a, um, friend getting them." She glanced at Peter, who seemed to be strangely upset with the woman behind the counter.

"A friend?" Ace tilted his head to the side curiously, his brunette locks brushing across his face.

"Sort of." she answered, her tone unsure. Before Ace could further question her, Peter stepped into the room; a wide, pleasant grin on his face as he turned to Alice.

"She offered to upgrade you to the Contemporary Resort." he explained. "You can pick your room keys up there."

"The Contemporary?" Ace questioned curiously, and Peter scowled at him.

"That's by Magic Kingdom, isn't it?" Boris asked, finally pulling from the movie on the screen. Peter nodded.

"I'm staying there, too." he explained, grinning widely back at Alice. "I could accompany you."

"Really?" Alice smiled, standing up and making her way to the man. How he managed to get them into such an extravagant hotel, she'd never know. "Thank you so, _so_ much. I really don't know how to repay you."

"It's perfectly fine!" Peter assured her with a comforting grin, and Alice returned his smile with her own.

Uncomfortable, Julius coughed, earning their attention- Peter staring at him irritatingly and Alice's eyes wide with curiosity and innocence. "I think we should be going now, then. We have to catch a bus to the Magic Kingdom, then take a monorail to the resort."

The teens nodded, following him as he led the way out the main lobby and towards the buses outside.

* * *

"So you're twenty?" Alice asked as she slipped her hotel room key into the single pocket she had attached to her layered baby blue miniskirt, assuring it was secure in a plastic baggie by her cellphone and MP3 player. Peter nodded, and Julius wrinkled his nose from behind the two.

"I turned twenty about three months ago. My birthday's in March." he explained, and Alice smiled.

"Mine's in January." she explained. "I'm sixteen."

_It's not that big of an age difference. _Peter thought with hopeful smile. Julius mumbled a few annoyed words under his breath as he viewed the two. It wasn't that hard to tell what Peter was up to.

"Hey, stupid bunny!" Two voices called, and the group glanced to the left, watching as a large group of people exited the monorail above. A man with long, upper-back length crow hair followed an older, purple-haired woman with bright red lipstick and a stern stare. Two twins hung over the railings- their eyes staring down at Peter tauntingly- and an orange-haired man lifted them from the back of their red and blue T-shirts, pulling them away.

Peter glared up at them, murmuring a curse under his breath. Alice looked at him curiously. "Do you know them?"

"They're my family." he muttered, his crimson eyes glaring angrily as the group strode down the steps and towards the white-haired boy.

They hardly look as amused to see him as he did to them. The lone older woman simply glared at everything in annoyance and disgust, while the black-haired man grinned smugly at Peter. Elliot wrinkled his nose in disgust at the white-haired man, and the kids struggling in his grasp held eyes that gleamed deviously towards Peter. Overall, it looked like they wanted to gang up on him.

"Well, well. Look who finally showed up." the raven-haired man said sarcastically, stepping forth towards Peter with a grin that held a thousand insults inside. Alice's eyes widened as she viewed the man; he looked _exactly_ like her ex. Could it be him?

"I'm not late." Peter grumbled, glaring up at him. "You said be here at _eight._ You never said _eight at night._"

The man chuckled darkly, shoving the teen aside and stepping towards Alice. Upon taking a closer look, Alice realized he wasn't who she thought; this man was older, about three years at most. That was a relief. "It appears you've picked up some strays along the way. Care to introduce us?"

"Step away from my Alice!" Peter snapped angrily, quickly taking his place at the brunette's side. Alice raised an eyebrow at him. Since when was she _his?_

"_Your_ Alice?" the older man taunted, his lips forming a wicked smirk. "Possessive, possessive…" He turned towards the brunette, leaning down to reach her height. "Such an interesting name, though. Very pretty."

"Um, thanks." Alice replied, taking an awkward step away from the two. The way he spoke… It was suave and confident. He was a womanizer; she could feel it in her gut. "Can I ask who you are?"

"Blood. Blood Dupre." the raven-haired man answered, his navy blue eyes softening at the girl; taking her form in. Alice's eyebrows pushed together as an uncomfortable feeling crawled through her body.

"Blood! We are tired of waiting!" the woman with purple hair said impatiently from behind, stomping a foot impatiently on the floor. "We wish to go to the gift shop! Stop seducing the poor child and let her be!"

Blood sighed, turning towards his sister with a highly annoyed glare. "Come now, Vivaldi. I'm just showing some courtesy to our _dear_ Peter's friend." Peter let out a huff of disbelief.

"We know of your womanizing traits." the woman named Vivaldi warned, holding a finger up. "Now let the poor girl go- she obviously doesn't enjoy your company."

"Don't you think you're speaking _for_ her?" Blood challenged, and the orange-haired man decided to step in- letting the twins go as he walked up to his cousin.

"Hey, Blood, chill. We're supposed to have fun, right? It's a vacation." he reminded him, ignoring the twins that ran up to Peter; their small mouths throwing insults to the man left and right.

Blood sighed. "I suppose your right, Elliot." He turned towards the twins, taking a quick moment to watch as Peter prepared to punch the children. "Dee. Dum. We're leaving."

"Aww! But we were playing with the stupid bunny!" the blue-eyed twin complained.

"Yeah! We were having fun!" the red-eyed boy chimed in. Peter growled.

"You weren't _playing._ you were trying to get your disgusting germs on me!" he snapped, and the twins stuck their tongues out.

"Dee. Dum. Now." Blood ordered, and the twins sighed, mumbling a few words under their breath as they followed the group to the gift shop. Peter sadly tagged along, glancing over his shoulder once to gift a small, apologetic wave before returning his attention to his family.

It was quiet for a moment after Peter and the others left; Alice staring in the direction they'd walked off to, while Boris stared curiously at the monorail above. Julius was at Alice's side, crossing his arms in front of his chest and mumbling a small "good riddance" when the others left. Alice had almost forgotten Ace was there until he popped in front of her; a large, goofy grin spread across his face.

"I think Peter has the hots for you." he said, and Alice took a quick step backwards, turquoise eyes wide with surprise.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, face flushed. "Stop being an idiot, Ace!"

"Hey, you look like a tomato!" her brother teased with a loud laugh, and Alice grew another shade darker- this time in anger.

"Shut up!" she ordered, roughly pushing past him to climb up the stairs to the monorail. The others followed quickly, Ace refusing to give up his taunts.

"Do you like him back?" Ace asked, and Alice shook her head.

"We just met, Ace! I hardly know him!" she argued, briefly glaring at him as she got into line.

"Aww, my little sister's getting a boyfriend!" Ace teased, pulling one of her cheeks out and pinching it. Alice slapped his hand away, muttering a threat to bite him. Ace laughed. "He's such a dork- those glasses look ridiculous!"

"And you look like an idiot." Alice snapped, annoyed. "Now would you please shut up? We don't like each other like that. We're acquaintances."

Ace shrugged. "That's too bad. He looked like he was pretty into you- he even said you were his. A pretty possessive guy, if you ask me." Alice bit back a growl.

"Ace, leave her alone." Julius snapped, fed up with the man as he placed a comforting hand on one of Alice's shoulders.

"Yeah, back off. My cousin's too cool for a nerd like him, right, Alice?" Boris insisted, slinging a playful arm around her waist. Alice sighed.

"He's not dorky, guys. Julius wears glasses to read, and you don't make a big deal about that." Alice pointed out, and Ace stifled a laugh.

"As far as you know." he replied, winking at Julius. The navy-haired man glared.

The monorail pulled up then, and Alice sighed, gently brushing her friends' hands off as she stepped inside, taking a seat. The others joined her, preparing for their first day at the Magic Kingdom.

**

* * *

**

Not a very funny chapter, but an introduction to Peter's family. ;D Blood's around 25 (I know I said it would go up to 23, but I needed some higher ages for the story), Vivaldi is 27, Elliot is 23, and Dee and Dum are 12.

**Trivia time! Can you guess what movie this chapter title is to? A digital Julius plushie if you can guess right! ;D**

**Chapter 2 Title: Cinderella**

**Digital cookies to pasty face and FantasticalFantasy for guessing the right answer! *hands them over***


	4. Friend Like Me

**4. Friend Like Me**

"Remember, guys. We're here to help my dad with work. It's not just a trip for fun." Alice reminded the men as they walked through the bustling path of Main Street USA, trying to avoid the upcoming trolley and women with strollers that nearly took over the path. Ace waved her off, and Boris rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Alice, live a little!" Ace insisted, swinging his arms behind his head casually with a grin from ear-to-ear spread across his face. "We have three weeks to give the old man the reports. It won't kill him to wait a while."

"Well, unlike _you,_ Ace, dad actually _trusts_ me. He expects me to get the job done, and I'm not going to let him down because _you_ are careless." the brunette replied, turning towards Julius. "Can I have my notebook, please?"

The navy-haired man nodded, reaching for the small black backpack that hung over his left shoulder and fetching the pink Cheshire Cat notebook and pen from inside. He handed the items to the girl, who gave a small smile and a "thank you" before returning her attention to her brother.

"Now, we should start where most of the crowds are going." Alice noted to herself out loud, blue orbs examining the different pathways that led to different lands in the kingdom. "It looks like a lot of them are going to Fantasyland, so we should start there." As she examined the pathway, Cinderella Castle caught her eye, and she grinned widely. "The castle is so pretty and big…"

"Want to get a picture by it?" Boris offered, his digital camera already whipped out from his black shorts' pocket. Alice thought for a moment, but shook her head.

"Nah, we have to get this done first." Alice objected, holding up her notebook. Boris rolled his topaz eye, shoving the camera into Julius's hands and yanking the girl roughly to a statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, forcing her next to him.

"Just smile at the camera and have fun. It'll only take a sec." Boris assured her, his hand in a thumbs-up pose and a bright smile directed to the camera that Julius held up; an annoyed expression on his face.

"But we shouldn't-" Alice tried to object, but Ace cut in.

"Hey, let me join!" he exclaimed, jumping in next to his sister and wrapping an arm around her shoulder carelessly. Alice sighed, faking a smile towards the camera. The small red light on it blinked when Julius pressed the button, and the trio relaxed when the photo was taken.

"Happy now?" she asked, and Boris nodded, taking his camera back and stuffing it in his pocket. Alice sighed, turning towards the opening to Fantasyland through the castle before pulling out her park map. "We should probably start with soft rides like It's a Small World or-"

"NO." the three men cried, and Alice glanced up at the trio with a raised eyebrow.

"Why not? It's cute." Alice objected, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"I'll get that song stuck in my head all day!" Boris cried, clutching his hot pink locks tightly as if he were in pain.

"It's very irritating." Julius said in a low tone, his eyes set in a glare. "I'll have a headache worth the entire trip."

"And what's your excuse?" Alice demanded, hands planted on her hips as she turned to Ace. The brunette shrugged carelessly.

"It looks boring." he replied, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. Alice sighed. There was just no pleasing him.

"Then what do _you_ want to go on? It _has_ to be in Fantasyland." Alice demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest in annoyance.

Ace tapped his chin a few times, his crimson eyes staring at the blinding blue sky ahead; clueless. Finally, he grinned widely at his sister. "How about the teacups?"

Julius suddenly paled from behind, and Alice half-smiled. "Um, maybe we should ride something else."

"Yeah, I don't think the clockmaker's up for it." Boris teased, jabbing a thumb at Julius, referring to his odd obsession with pocket watches. He glared.

"It's not that. I just…" Julius searched for an excuse, his eyes darting from one land to the next. "I'm… hungry. Yes- very hungry. I didn't get to eat before we came."

"Then we should ride the teacups first so you don't get sick!" Ace objected, slinging a playful arm around his friend's shoulders. Julius glared, brushing his arm off.

"Come on, let's go!" Boris insisted, clutching Alice's hand in his as he dragged her through the tunnel underneath the grand white-stoned castle; stained glass pictures of Cinderella's story surrounding the walls around them before they reached Fantasyland.

It certainly _did_ look like a Fantasy. Straight ahead was Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, and on either side of them stood dark rides and attractions like The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Mickey's PhilharMagic. Young girls in bright pink and blue Disney Princess costumes ran about, while young boys with Mickey ears and mouse-shaped balloons chased after them. Elephants named Dumbo took flight with youngsters, and several parents and the elderly were looking for a relaxing ride on Snow White's Scary Adventures to escape the heat around them.

"Come on, it's over there!" Ace shouted excitedly, pointing towards the Mad Tea Party attraction not too far away. Gripping a protesting Julius's hand, the brunette dragged his friend towards the spinning cups of doom.

"Wait, guys! Hold on!" Alice cried, struggling to catch up; Boris right at her side as they raced after the two. Their feet pounded noisily against the concrete grounds, and a few annoyed shouts echoed after them as Boris roughly pushed a few kids out of his way.

The cousins caught sight of Ace dragging an objecting Julius into a teacup, and they had begun to spin before the two could reach the attraction. Alice and Boris sighed unhappily, leaning against the sea foam green rails to watch the men spin wildly in a yellow and blue blur.

"Ah! Don't hurt me, chu!" a squeaky cry let out, and both cousins raised their eyebrows curiously at the intruder. A young boy with red hair and yellow streaks ran in from Liberty Town Square; his lone, visible green eye wide with fright as his hands were held out to keep his balance. He wore a silky white tank top underneath an olive green jacket that had the sleeves of a T-shirt and owned velvet red cuffs and collar. His pants were black, despite the heat, and a small matching hat with brown mouse ears sat atop his head; almost looking as if they belonged to him.

"Ah! Watch out, chu!" he cried, but it was too late, for he crashed straight into Alice. The brunette fell backwards underneath the boy, blinking a few times to keep herself conscious.

"Ugh… That hurt." Alice moaned, rubbing the back of her head. The boy on top of her squeaked, too frightened to move.

"I'm sorry, chu! I-I-I was trying to hide from the ghosts!" he apologized, pointing a shaky finger behind him.

Boris glared from overhead, grabbing the boy by his collar and yanking him off of his cousin. "Hey, get off of my cousin! Are you trying to rape her? Come on, this is a kid's park!"

"I-I-I didn't mean to! I wasn't trying t-to! Please don't hurt me!" the boy squeaked, quickly covering his head as if it were a defense; his eye growing teary. Alice climbed to her feet, feeling bad for the boy.

"You're totally lame, you know that?" Boris insulted, his topaz eye glaring into the male teen. "What's with those ears? Stupid rat boy."

"Boris, leave him alone!" Alice objected, quickly at the boy's side and placing a comforting arm around his shoulders. The redhead cowered into her side, and Boris glared.

"Alice, are you really going to let him crawl on you like that?" the pink-haired teen snapped, and Alice smacked her cousin upside the head.

"Stop being such a bully, Boris." Alice ordered, her eyebrows knitting together as she glared at her cousin. "And don't judge him because of his hat. _You_ bought a pair of cat ears as soon as we got in here!" She pointed to the fluffy pink triangles sticking out from her cousin's pocket, and Boris blushed lightly; eye still giving the boy an evil scowl.

He pulled his cat ears out, placing them on his head and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "That's because the Cheshire Cat is the best Disney character ever created. Not like the stupid _dormouse_." The redhead winced at his words. "What's this loser's name, anyways?"

"P-Pierce!" the boy squeaked, too frightened to dare to object. "Pierce V-Villiers."

"Are you okay, Pierce?" Alice asked, patting the boy's head gently as stood upright and paused his cowering.

"Y-yes." he stammered, his eye wide with wonder as he stared at Alice. The brunette smiled genuinely.

"That's good. I thought you got hurt." she said, and Pierce blushed lightly; surprised. "So, what were you trying to run from?"

"Th-the ghosts!" the mouse squeaked, pointing to Liberty Town Square.

Alice raised a curious eyebrow. "You mean The Haunted Mansion?" Pierce nodded frightfully.

"When we were entering, m-my brother was right behind be! B-but when I boarded the buggy, he was gone! A-at the end of the ride, I still couldn't find him! I think the ghosts got him!" he cried in panic, his skin was pale as could be.

"Tch. What an idiot. They're not real, stupid." Boris muttered from behind, and Alice glared at him before smiling softly at Pierce.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine. He might have gotten on a different buggy than you." Alice tried to comfort him, patting his shoulder gently. "Boris and I will help you find him, okay? Right, Boris?"

"What? ! I don't want to help the loser!" Boris objected, gesturing an angry hand towards Pierce. The mouse-eared boy flinched, and Alice sighed.

"Coming from the boy in pink cat ears." she deadpanned, and Boris frowned. "Now be nice and help me find his brother, okay?"

Boris was quiet for a minute, but he finally mumbled, "If it wasn't for _you_, Alice, I wouldn't do this."

Alice grinned. "I'd be surprised if you did."

* * *

"What did your brother look like?" Alice asked, her arm hooked with Pierce's as she kindly led him back to The Haunted Mansion; his face growing paler with each step. Boris trailed on the other side of Alice lazily; his arms pressed behind his head.

"W-well, he has orange hair." Pierce began, using his free hand to create invisible waves around his head. "It's really wavy, and he has blue eyes."

"Is he tall?" Alice questioned, and Pierce nodded.

"Really tall." He held a hand above his head to emphasize the man's height. "He still gives me piggyback rides." He blushed as he said this, and Alice chuckled. Boris rolled his eyes.

"What's his name? Was he with anyone?" the brunette continued, pausing near the entrance to The Haunted Mansion. Pierce nodded once again.

"Elliot." he said. "He was with our cousins Blood and Vivaldi. Oh, and Blood's kids! They're so mean and scary! Wah!" Pierce's eye grew watery again, and Alice quickly patted his head, trying to soothe him. "They said they were going to get my other brother at the hotel… Do you think they went with them?"

Upon hearing Blood's name, Alice raised her eyebrows and quickly nodded. "You mean they went to get Peter?" _And those kids were _Blood's?_ He didn't look _that _old…_

This time, Pierce's eyebrows rose, and he nodded in surprise. "You know Peta-chan?"

Alice smiled, nodding eagerly. "Yeah! I met him earlier. We were hanging out for a while before that Blood guy came and got him."

"Yay!" Pierce surprised the girl by wrapping her into a tight hug, and Alice's eyes widened, shocked. "Thank you, Alice-chan! Will you take me to them? Please? Pretty please?"

Alice's eyebrows rose and she patted the boy's head, trying to gently take him off. Boris did the job for her; he yanked the kid off quickly, glaring at the mouse.

"Um, sure, but I think Ace and Julius are probably done with the ride by now." Alice replied, checking the blue watch that sat overtop her wristband and nodded an affirmative. "Do you think we could meet up with them first and take you back later? You can hang out with us for a while, if you'd like."

"Really?" Pierce's emerald eye widened at the invitation, and Alice ignored the several "NO!" hand motions Boris gave from the background.

"Sure!" Alice assured him with a smile, and Pierce grinned while Boris smacked a hand against his forehead with an annoyed sigh.

"Yay! Thank you, Alice-chan!" he cried, wrapping his arms around her waist in a tight hug. "I'm so lucky to have a friend like you!"

Alice sighed, gently pushing the boy off and giving a small smile towards him. "Heh. Yeah. A friend like me."

**

* * *

**

I originally wasn't going to include the Clover/Joker characters in this; it was just going to be Heart. However, I REALLY wanted to add Pierce into this so Boris would have more of a part in the story, and that means Gray and the Jokers will be appearing in later chapters, too. ;D I think Peter's family is all wrapped up now; no more stray cousins and siblings running about, don't worry. ;D

**How are Dee and Dum Blood's kids? Well, my friends, it's a thing called "adoption". ;3 Back story time~!**

**When Blood became heir to the mafia and such, one of his employees had kids- Dee and Dum. The twins grew up nice and healthy and deadly, blah blah, until one day when their parents died in a fight, and Blood adopted them as his own and made them the gatekeepers. End of back story!**

**Wow, I really didn't think that many people would get the answer for the last chapter, if any at all. O.o Disney sequels aren't really well-known; especially their songs. I guess there are more Disney freaks in this world than just me. XD**

**Can you guess the movie for THIS chapter? Winner gets… *drum roll* a digital Pierce plushie! 8D**

**Previous Answer: The Lion King II: Simba's Pride**

**Congrats to the winners: FantasticalFantasy, elliotxalicexlover, and octicy! *hands them Julius plushies***

**Ace: *pops out of backpack* Now can I be a prize? ;D**

**Me: …*falcon punch* NO! DX**


	5. Poor Unfortunate Souls

**5. Poor Unfortunate Souls**

When Alice and her friends caught up at the Mad Tea Party attraction, Ace and Julius had already exited the ride… for the second time.

Julius's face was as pale and green as could be, but Alice only caught a glimpse of it before he hid it away inside of a trashcan. Ace laughed at his friend; pointing a taunting finger at him. Alice groaned, quickly rushing to the navy-haired man to pull his hair from his face.

"You okay?" the brunette asked, though it was a useless question, since Julius was quite busy losing his lunch at the moment. She sighed, patting his forehead gently before glaring at her brother. "Did you _really_ need to spin that fast?"

"How was I supposed to know he'd get sick?" Ace replied in false sympathy, shrugging one of his infamous careless shrugs. Alice groaned in annoyance, returning her attention to the puking man in front of her.

"I-Is he going to be okay?" Pierce asked through a whimper, pointing a shaky finger at Julius from Alice's side.

"No. He'll get sick and die. Then it'll be all your fault." Boris deadpanned from behind, and Pierce let out a frightened squeak. Alice ignored him.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Don't worry." she assured the dormouse, but Julius let out a loud cough from the trashcan. She turned towards the man, frowning. "Are you done now?" He nodded- refusing to lift his face- and Alice patted the top of his head gently, turning to Ace. "Get him some napkins and a Sprite, okay?"

"Why? This is funny." Ace said with a wide grin, and Alice narrowed her eyes.

"Now."

Her brother sighed heavily, but shrugged, walking off to find a drink stand. When he was gone, Julius said bluntly, "You left." His voice echoed through the trashcan.

"I know! I'm really sorry." Alice apologized, brushing her hand through his locks comfortingly, a pang of guilt rising in her. "We met up with one of Peter's brothers, and he couldn't find his family, so we're going to hang out with him for a while before we go back to the hotel tonight."

"So you were helping a complete stranger reunite with his family like a fairytale, and left me for dead with your idiotic brother?" Julius deadpanned, glaring briefly at Pierce, who was cowering from Boris. Alice sighed, frowning.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry, Julius." she apologized again sadly. She thought for a moment, trying to think of something that would cheer him up. She came up empty handed. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

"I'll tell you when I think of it." the cynic replied, and Alice sighed, pleased that she saw Ace jogging towards them with a pile of napkins and a Sprite in hand.

"Here." he said, handing the items over, and Julius looked away from Alice as he lifted his head from the trashcan; wiping his face with the napkins and chugging down the Sprite while Alice continued holding his hair.

"All better?" she asked, and Julius nodded, tossing the now empty bottle and napkins into the trashcan. Alice smiled, finally letting his hair go and reaching up to feel his forehead. It was hot, and she frowned. "You don't feel good…" She glanced at his sweatshirt, frowning. "You shouldn't wear that. It's too hot for it."

"I wasn't able to change my clothes before we came." he explained, and Alice frowned; reaching for the backpack Julius had set down earlier when he had gotten sick and pulled out a few 20's from her wallet.

"I'll get you a T-shirt; you need it." she said with a determined nod. Julius sighed, shaking his head.

"You don't have to pay for it." he said with an annoyed tone, reaching for the money, but Alice held it back.

"I'd feel bad if I didn't. Don't worry- you can still have me make up for leaving you with him later- but you need a T-shirt or you'll get a heatstroke." the female insisted, eyes scanning the area cautiously for a store. All she really saw was a Tinkerbell and Princesses-themed shop with glittery gowns inside… She doubted he wanted to walk around dressed like Ariel or Cinderella, not that the dresses would even come close to fitting him.

"Really, Alice, you don't need to do that." Julius argued, frowning sternly at the girl. Alice shook her head, swiftly walking around him in search for a shop.

"I'll get you a shirt at Tomorrowland." she said with a determined nod, her blue orbs gesturing towards the futuristic land around the bend. Julius sighed in irritation, shaking his head.

"You're such a troublesome woman." he muttered, his tone layered in thick annoyance, but Alice chuckled, shooting him a small smile.

"I know."

* * *

"We wish for you to purchase these!" Vivaldi's voice rang through the gift shop of the Contemporary Resort; her ivory arms filled with several plushy stuffed animals that resembled characters from the park. Her chin was raised high and her violet eyes gazed into Blood's determinedly. Her brother gave a scowl.

"Just because you're older doesn't mean I have to buy you every little thing your heart desires." the mafia boss hissed, wrinkling his nose at all the cute critters in the woman's arms. Their glassy black eyes stared at him, and Blood had half a mind to slap them out of her arms.

"As Our baby brother We _demand_ that you buy these!" Vivaldi snapped, and Blood glared in response. He had half a mind to snap back at her, but instead sighed with irritation, deciding it was better to avoid a hassle with his sister than deal with her rants the rest of the day. She could be such a troublesome tyrant!

"Very well." he replied, two fingers rubbing against his temples to rid the terrible headache that threatened to take action. Vivaldi smiled in satisfaction, shoving the toys in his arms before dancing off to find more. Blood sighed, heading for the cash register.

Peter sulked in the corner of the store, watching his family with thick irritation vibrating off of his albino frame. Snow white locks for bangs covered his deadly crimson glare, and he stared miserably at his feet with arms crossed in front of his chest. He didn't want to be here; not with _them._ He'd finally found someone that he'd much rather spend his time with, and the odds were that he might not even see her again. He would be lucky if he got a mere glance of the lovely brunette again. A longing sigh escaped his throat as Peter closed his eyes, shifting his weight so a nearby stand of kitchenware was holding him up. At least he still had his daydreams.

Elliot noticed his younger half-brother's sigh, and raised an eyebrow. Normally he didn't give a shred of care for the kid- after all, he was born out of lust and would never be considered more than a mistake on his father's side- but he'd rather not get an earful from the teen later on. He paused his scolds on the twins, turning towards Peter with crossed arms and an annoyed expression. "What's wrong, flake?" Peter growled at his brother and turned away, glancing at Dee and Dum who were currently bothering a cashier. "Shouldn't you be controlling those two? You're their _nanny _after all."

Elliot glared. "Would you just tell me what's wrong already? I don't want to deal with your moping for the rest of the trip."

"Then why did you invite me?" Peter snapped, and Elliot sighed, running a hand through his orange locks.

"It wasn't my choice, trust me." the older man replied. "Pierce was the one on his knees begging that you come. I don't get what the kid sees in you."

"That makes sense." Peter scoffed. He should have known it was the redhead that convinced the others to let Peter come- the young boy was just about the only one who loved the man. Peter couldn't see why; he hated his younger half-brother. He could never be what Pierce and Elliot were- he was always just going to be the lovechild, while his semi-siblings shared full blood. As the white-haired man glanced around, he noticed the only reason for him being there was missing. "Hey, did Pierce show up yet?"

Elliot glanced around as well, his expression flickering between confused, horrified, and pissed off in an instant. He pressed a hand against his forehead in annoyance and groaned. "Damn it! We must have left him at the park."

"Tch. Some brother you are." Peter muttered, rolling his crimson orbs at the man. "You worry yourself more with those _brats_ than your own flesh and blood." He pointed towards the Bloody Twins bluntly, the demonic kids running around with water guns they'd snuck into the hotel. Several workers chased after them, but the boys merely squirted them in response.

Elliot sighed, placing a hand against his forehead. He glared briefly at Peter before running after the twins, preparing to stop them. Peter sighed, looking away.

"See? What'd I tell you." he mumbled under his breath.

"Hmph. Are you becoming emo, White?" Blood taunted, raising a mischievous eyebrow as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, tilting his head to the side. Peter shot him a death stare.

"Back off, Hatter." the teen snapped, waving his cousin off. Blood chuckled darkly.

"Could it have to do with the girl from earlier?" the Mafioso continued, raising an eyebrow as he leaned lazily against a rack of coffee mugs.

"Tch." Peter scowled, looking away. Blood smirked.

"I thought so." the raven-haired man replied, pretending to be interested in one of the mugs. "You really shouldn't think about her. You'll never see her again, so there's really no point. Besides, women are nothing but troublesome creatures. When they realize they have you under their spell, they'll break you down until your nothing but a slave. Pathetic, if you ask me."

"Is that why you try to sleep with them every night?" Peter deadpanned, and Blood chuckled.

"Someone has to teach them their place. Men are dominant, after all." the man replied, and Peter rolled his eyes.

"You're disgusting." the white-haired teen scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest in annoyance. "You don't teach girls their place- you use them for your own selfish needs, and claim _they're_ the horrible ones. You're a hypocrite. I doubt you even like half the girls you sleep with. You're probably into _guys._ Are you _in the closet,_ Blood? I've seen the way you stick to Elliot… Are you into _incest?_ My, my..."

Blood's eye twitched, and he raised a hand, roughly slapping the boy across the face. His navy eyes glared into the rabbit as he stumbled backwards; crimson orbs returning the infuriated stare.

"_This_ is why no one cares about you." Blood hissed through clenched teeth. "No one in the family wants you- _not one soul._ The only reason we even let you come is because Pierce wouldn't shut up about you and he was pissing me off. Now, be grateful and move on with your pathetic life."

With that, the Mafioso spun around and strode away, returning to Vivaldi. Peter had half a mind to run after him; punch that snide man across the face and cause him his own stain of crimson on flesh. Any other time he _would_ have done so. That was what happened last Christmas- he'd finally snapped and nearly killed Dupre. If it wasn't for Elliot holding him down, the mafia boss would have a scar down his chest- if he even had the chance to live.

Instead, Peter growled lowly at the man, spinning on his own heel and storming out of the gift shop. He would go somewhere else- somewhere far, _far_ away from these selfish fools he was forced to call a "family".

He made his way to the upcoming monorail, quickly darting into one of the open green-striped doors and pushing his way to a metal pole in the middle; his hands gripping the steel tightly as the vehicle pushed onward towards the Magic Kingdom in the distance, leaving these poor unfortunate souls behind.

**

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**

I hope I'm getting personalities right here- I love writing scenes with Pierce, since he's so childish and cute. I just find him easier to write about. XD The others… not so much. -_-'' I'm trying, though.

**Wow, I better come up with harder-to-name chapters, because you guys are getting them all! :o **

**Previous Answer: Aladdin**

**Congrats to moonflower princess, Under-Writes, elliotxalicexlover, pasty face, octicy, LuckyStarKona, and FantasticalFantasy! *tosses them Pierce plushies, 'cause Pierce is so CUTE! 8D***

**Next prize will be… *drum roll* digital Peter plushies! 8D 'Cause digital plushies are better than digital cookies. XD**

**Ace: Does that mean I can be a prize next time…? **

**Me: STOP STALKING ME! DX**


	6. Strangers Like Me

**6. Strangers Like Me**

She was such a troublesome woman; always so stubborn. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with the young girl.

Julius stepped out from the men's bathroom in a dark gray Grumpy T-shirt, his sweatshirt hanging over one arm as he neared his friends. The shirt read "Genius by birth. GRUMPY by choice."** His blank, annoyed stare seemed to hold true to his shirt.

"Here." he said, holding his hand out for one of the two shopping bags in Alice's hands; the gang had went a little crazy in the store. The brunette handed the plastic to him, and the navy-haired man tossed in his shirt, slinging the bag over his shoulder so she didn't have to carry it. "Where to now?"

"I say we ride Space Mountain. We're already here." Ace said, raising his hand as if to cast a vote.

"How about Adventureland?" Boris suggested, playing with one of his new golden mouse-shaped studs that were pinned to his fake cat ears. The cashier that had rung up his earrings was more than a little confused on the boy's gender. "It looks cooler." He grinned demonically, turning to Pierce. "We could always throw the rat to the gators on the Jungle Cruise."

"Wah!" Pierce squeaked, quickly clinging to Alice's side in fright; his emerald orb watery. "Please don't, chu!" Alice sighed, patting the boy's head gently.

"We'll go to Frontierland. I saw a couple groups of teens heading there, so it probably has stuff for our reports." Alice said, pointing towards Main Street USA. "Fine with you guys?" Boris shrugged carelessly, and Pierce nodded. Ace grinned at Julius, already forming some type of devilish plan in his thoughts, and the navy-haired man sidestepped away cautiously. Alice chuckled, brushing her newfound friend off so she could lead the way.

* * *

Peter stared dully at the long, Victorian-styled street before him. Men in straw hats and patriotic suits ran about, selling balloons or rushing around the barber shop. The rattling of metal echoed through the Main Street Railroad Station, to which Peter was perched on the other side, viewing the long, confetti-filled street. What was there to really do here? Amusement Parks weren't specifically his forte; he wasn't even sure why he came to the Magic Kingdom. The real park he planned to spend his time was in EPCOT- the World Showcase was sure to use up most of his time and end this trip all the sooner.

The white-haired man sighed, swinging his arm over the painted metal gates lazily, his crimson orbs staring out at nothing in particular. There was barely anything of interest out there for him. What was he even doing here?

The man groaned, wishing he knew the answer. As he prepared to leave, something caught his eye in the sea of people. Curious, Peter squinted his eyes behind his glasses, taking in the form of a young brunette in white and baby blue. Around her was that pink-haired cat boy, the idiotic brother in red, and a navy-haired man behind them. He also saw another teen following, but he couldn't make the kid out.

"My precious Alice is here!" Peter squealed excitedly, his hands lifting to his cheeks with happiness. An uncharacteristically bright smile spread across his face as the man watched the beauty point towards one of the many bridges around the park.

_Frontierland. _he thought determinedly, pulling out a park map from his back pocket and glancing at their destination. He was right.

Slipping the map back into his pocket, he frowned. He'd never make it up to the group in time on foot. Glancing behind him, he noticed the train was about to leave. Taking his chance, Peter dashed for the vehicle, running as fast as he could to a seat. Lucky for him, Peter slid onto one of the green benches just before the train departed. The white-haired man sighed in relief, staring out the side window he'd caught in boredom. Now he just had to wait for this thing to park in Frontierland so he could meet up with Alice.

It wasn't until he heard a sigh of relief that Peter noticed he wasn't alone. Across from him sat a silver-haired man with a black and gold-rimmed eye patch over his right eye. He wore a black tank top and matching pants. Gray boots stretched up halfway to his knees and his silver eyes flashed with excitement as he glanced behind himself one more time before grinning at the younger teen. A purple handkerchief was stuffed out of his tank top, seeming rather out of place.

Peter rolled his crimson orbs- not in the mood to deal with such a trivial man- and returned his attention to the busy park around him. Of course, he should have known that he wasn't going to be let off so easily.

"Hello." the man greeted the teen, and Peter sighed in annoyance, gifting the eye-patched man with his attention. "I'm Nightmare Gottschalk."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" the white-haired man asked with a raised eyebrow, his tone uncaring. Nightmare raised an eyebrow.

"Normally when you talk to somebody for the first time, they say 'hello' or 'my name is…'." the man replied, and Peter huffed, leaning back in his chair.

"Peter. Peter White." the man answered, crossing his legs as he glared at this so-called Nightmare Gottschalk. He might as well amuse this man for the time being; he had a feeling this guy was going to bother him either way. He was probably some old geezer that snuck out from their nursing home.

"I'm not old! I'm only twenty-four!" Nightmare argued, his eyebrows pushing together while he crossed his arms firmly in front of his chest. Peter blinked, confused. Had he said that out loud? He was certain he'd kept it in thought…

Twenty-four, did he say? Oh please. His silver hair wasn't helping him out here. He was probably deranged, too.

"I dyed it." the silver-haired man hissed, glaring at the man. "What about you? You're hair is white as snow!"

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" Peter demanded, raising an eyebrow. He knew he didn't say anything out loud, so how was this guy figuring it out?

Nightmare smirked, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his bare arms in front of his chest; showing off. "I can read minds, of course."

"A mind reader?" Peter scoffed, rolling his eyes. This guy really _was_ crazy. "As if. There's no such thing."

"Yes there is!" Nightmare argued, feeling offended. "How else am I able to read your thoughts?" After he spoke, he wrinkled his nose at the teen, and Peter raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Whatever. I don't care." Peter answered honestly, turning away from the man. "I have more important things to worry about than your talents."

Nightmare sighed, looking out at the park as well. "So, where are you from?"

"Does it really matter?" Peter replied bluntly, laughing once; a small, humorless laugh. A dark laugh. Nightmare shrugged.

"I'm from Clover County." the man replied, grinning. Peter raised an eyebrow at him.

"Heart County." the white-haired man answered simply, as if it were obvious.

"That's not too far from Clover." Nightmare noted, and Peter nodded his head, hardly aware of the man. The train came to a stop then, and Peter quickly climbed off, leaving the silver-haired man behind. He paused, however, noticing that the guy wasn't moving from his spot.

"Aren't you getting off?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow. Nightmare's eye widened and he shook his head.

"Of course not! Gray might be waiting." he said, pointing a shaky finger beyond Peter. "He'll try to kidnap me and make me do paperwork at the hotel!"

"…Right." Peter stretched the word out, mumbling about the insanity of the man as he walked away from the platform and headed towards Frontierland. He ended up near Splash Mountain, and the white-haired man glanced back and forth for his love, hoping to catch her inside of the crowd.

"Alice!" he cried, spotting her and the others heading for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The brunette paused, glancing over at the teen. He'd never seen such a beautiful face; the way her large blue eyes lit up innocently when her gaze caught his, and how her lips parted slightly as if she had something to say but the words wouldn't come out. He wanted to run up to her and grasp her in a hug and squeal with the excitement in his heart.

And that's exactly what he did.

* * *

"You know what would be better than honey roasted peanuts?" Boris asked, a devilish grin on his face as he tagged alongside his cousin toward a coaster in Frontierland. His eyes glinted demonically as he caught Pierce's frightened gaze. "Fried dormouse."

"AH! Don't eat me, chu!" the redhead cried, tears brimming at his eyes once again as he clutched onto the nearest person he could find- Julius. The navy-haired man glared in disgust as the teen attached himself to his waist, and struggled to pull him off.

"He's not going to eat you, now get off!" Julius growled angrily, but that only made the mouse more frightened as he stumbled towards Alice, grasping onto her instead.

"Don't hurt me, please, chu!" he sobbed, cowering from the men. Alice sighed, gently brushing stray locks of red and gold locks from his free emerald eye and patting him gently on the head, almost like a mother would to a child.

"Don't worry, they're not going to do anything to you, okay?" the brunette assured him gently, smiling comfortingly down at the boy so he would stop his fuss. "I promise I won't let them."

"R-really?" Pierce asked, sniffing a little as he lifted his head towards the girl; green eye wide with wonder and hope. Alice smiled, nodding, and the fifteen-year-old jumped up excitedly, clasping his hands together.

"Yay! Thank you, chu!" he sang, and Alice giggled nodding for him to keep following so they could get to the ride already. Pierce obeyed quickly, skipping to catch up with the others.

"You're so lame." Boris deadpanned, glaring at the mouse. "Don't cling on my cousin like that. You're just annoying her."

"N-nuh-uh! That's not true, is it, Alice-chan?" Pierce asked worriedly, and Alice sighed, spinning around to glare at her cousin.

"Boris, just _shut your mouth._ Pierce doesn't annoy me at all. Right now the only one ticking me off is _you._" the brunette snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "Now apologize and stop bullying him!"

"Tch. Sorry, rat." the pink-haired teen muttered, looking away. Pierce nodded, too afraid to say anything as he sidestepped away from the men and walked at Alice's side.

"_Alice!"_

A voice called the brunette's name from the crowd, and Alice turned towards the direction of the voice curiously, tilting her head to the side. A smile formed across her face when she spotted Peter waving anxiously from Splash Mountain; a wide grin pleasantly placed on his lips.

_I thought he had to go with his family… Maybe he came back to get Pierce. _Alice thought. However, the white-haired man rushed for the brunette instead; surprising her by catching the teen in a tight embrace.

"Alice!" Peter cried happily, hugging the girl excitedly. "I didn't think I would see you again!" "H-hi to you, too." Alice stammered, his hug too tight. "C-can't breathe."

"Oh! I'm sorry." Peter quickly apologized, letting go of the girl. He didn't let go entirely, because his hands lingered on her shoulders. His smile was warm and pleasant, filled with some type of unnatural joy. Alice smiled back, too, but her lips quickly turned into a frown as both Boris and Ace loomed with dark auras around them behind Peter's back. They gripped the man's arms quickly, confusing the white-haired teen as they yanked him away from the girl. He glared at the two, confused. "What are you doing?"

"Hands off my cousin." Boris ordered, topaz eyes boring holes into the rabbit. "You can look, but you can't touch."

"She's not a toy, you have to be careful with her~!" Ace teased, winking at the man. Peter stared flabbergasted at the male brunette.

"Would you two leave him alone?" Alice demanded, glaring at her relatives as she placed a hand on her hip- using the other to gently tug Peter away from their grasp. Those demonic eyes of her family never left the man, though. She smiled nervously up at the white-haired man. "I'm sorry about that. They're… protective."

"I can tell." Peter replied, narrowing his eyes at the boys.

"Oh! I never really introduced everyone, did I?" Alice asked, suddenly feeling guilty. Quickly, she gestured to Boris. "That's my cousin, Boris Airay." This time her hand strayed to Ace. "That's my older brother, Ace." It strayed to Julius. "And this is my best friend, Julius Monrey."

_Best friend? _Peter thought, his eye twitching as he exchanged a glance with the clockmaker; Julius not seeming any more pleased about the teen's presence than he was about Pierce's. Perhaps even less so. His navy eyes glared into the crimson-eyed man, and Peter felt a pang of jealousy; this man was close to Alice, so could it be he felt the same for the girl? Was he to be a rival?

"PETA-CHAN~!" A loud, sing-song voice interrupted the men's angry glare, quickly causing Peter's eyes to widen and stumble back a little as two arms wound around his waist, a young redhead clinging to him. "Peta-chan, I found you!"

Peter glared down in thick irritation at the fifteen-year-old latched around his waist, bright emerald eyes staring up childishly at the man. The older sibling wrinkled his nose in disgust, not amused with the kid's childlike energy.

"Peta-chan, Peta-chan!" Pierce chanted excitedly, as if he were a toddler that had met Santa for the first time. "I missed you, chu~!"

"It's only been a day since we talked on the phone!" Peter argued, trying to push him off. "I just talked to you last night!"

"But I haven't _seen_ you since your birthday!" the mouse-eared boy objected, his eye almost watering at the thought. Peter huffed noisily, rolling his eyes. That was right; Pierce was the only one to show up at his birthday this year- he and Vivaldi. If it was Peter's choice he would have stayed home alone, but Pierce was so persistent on things…

"I get it. Now let go." the man growled, and Pierce reluctantly released him; pouting miserably.

"Are you mad at me, Peta-chan?" the redhead whimpered, and Peter sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. He could do what he usually did; tell the truth very bluntly and frank. Explain that he was indeed mad at the kid, and try to get him to leave. It wouldn't work, he knew- Pierce would only cling to him harder and try to make it up to him- but it was all he really knew what to do. However, he had a crowd now; more than a crowd, he had Alice. Was Pierce a friend or an annoyance for the brunette? He didn't want to make the wrong moves around her.

"I'm sure he's not mad at you." Alice comforted the teen gently, as if she were a mother speaking to her child. That small movement seemed to give Peter his answer. "Right, Peter?"

"No. I'm fine." the white-haired man muttered, looking away with arms crossed in front of his chest. He almost looked like a sulking child, but it indeed took a lot to say those words about the mouse.

Pierce's eyes lit up with pure joy as he stared at Peter, almost as if he'd never heard such words. Grinning, the redhead clasped his hands together excitedly, prancing about. "Yay! Peta-chan, Peta-chan!"

"Calm down. You're giving me a headache." Peter complained truthfully, placing a hand against his forehead. Pierce quickly quieted down, nodding. His grin never left his face.

"Do you want to join us, Peter? We were just about to go ride some coasters." Alice said, gesturing towards Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Peter glanced at the attraction, not particularly fond of the idea of rollercoasters, but if it was to please Alice…

Smiling his brightest for the brunette, Peter nodded. "I'd love to."

* * *

The park was better than Peter had expected; of course, that could be due to the girl close at his side. It almost seemed like a date in his mind- a group date, but a date nonetheless. He'd done everything he knew from romance novels- buy her ice cream, give her compliments, and even put up with her annoying family. It wasn't easy, either- Ace was cracking jokes about them here and there, while Boris kept getting on his case about his close position by the girl. Of course, the lurking eyes of a clockmaker never went unnoticed to the man; it was as if Julius was analyzing him, speculating. He couldn't help but feel defensive around this navy-haired man, but struggled his best to keep a pleasant composure for the female brunette.

"EEP!" Alice squeaked, clutching the metal bar of the black buggy in The Haunted Mansion for dear life as a neon-colored "spirit" popped up from one of the fake tombstones in the graveyard. Peter felt torn between two emotions with this; for starters, he wanted her to cling to his arm instead of the metal bar. However, he was also glad she held the bar- other than himself, Julius was the only other available person to grab onto, and he'd rather not see her clutch _him._

The buggy continued to stroll through the graveyard, and the trio could easily hear Ace singing along with the song loudly from the next car over, while Boris was purposely scaring Pierce with ghost noises and such. This was one of the few attractions Peter favored; it wasn't like a happy-go-lucky fairytale like most of the rides there. This actually had a certain aura; a darkness around it. It was more frightening, more depressing than the other attractions. It was something he admired from it; it proved a small point in reality where death could very well rein over life.

When the black vehicle finished striding through a mirror of ghosts, Peter gladly helped Alice out of the buggy, leaving Julius to climb out himself. Boris tried to trap Pierce in the buggy, but after smacking the pink-haired teen on the back of the head, Alice helped the redhead out. It was no surprise that he clung to her like a lifeline afterwards. Peter couldn't help but grit his teeth at this sight; just a little.

When the teens exited the attraction, darkness had already laid itself over the park. Thick blankets of navy blue in just a few shades darker than Julius's hair hung heavily over the sky, small diamonds for stars pinned like thumbtacks between black clouds ahead. Gorgeous, yellow lights dances around attractions around them, and dull streetlamps of Liberty Town Square welcomed the teens in an old fashioned away.

"It's this late already?" Alice asked, glancing at her watch in confusion. Sure enough, it was quite the late hour at hand. "I thought we still had some time before the parade."

"I think it started already." Boris said, and sure enough, music from the ride floats just a few lands away was heard ever so lightly from Main Street USA. Alice frowned.

"I was hoping we could see it from the beginning." she said, eyebrows pushing into a v-shape as she pulled out a park schedule from her pocket, viewing it over in the dim lamplight nearby. "The next one isn't until tomorrow."

"We won't be here tomorrow." Ace noted with a grin. "We're going to EPCOT, aren't we?" Alice nodded.

"I guess we could see it on Wednesday." the brunette replied, thinking. "We're going to Animal Kingdom in the morning and coming back here that night, aren't we?" Julius nodded, and Alice mimicked his movement, closing the map back up and shoving it in her pocket. "I guess we'll have to wait until then." She turned to Peter, frowning. "I'm sorry, Peter. I really thought we'd have more time to see the parade."

"It's okay! Don't fret about it." the white-haired man comforted her, grinning at the girl honestly. "Maybe we could meet up and see it another time."

"That sounds like fun." Alice replied with a grin. "We'll see you around, I guess."

"Are you heading back to the hotel already?" Peter asked, frowning. He wish he'd have more time with the female…

"Yeah. The park closes after the firework show soon, anyways." Alice noted, glancing at Cinderella Castle. "It should be starting soon, so I might as well beat the crowd and get to the hotel." Peter nodded sullenly. Well, there went his time with Alice.

"Can we come with you?" Pierce spoke up, saving the white-haired man from his saddening state. "I need to try to get sleep for tomorrow." The redhead rubbed his eyes, as if to prove his point. Alice blinked, but smiled, nodding.

"Sure." she replied with a grin, waving them forward as she led the others around the park. Peter felt like he was on cloud nine as he trailed behind, catching up with the female. Perhaps he could get used to these strangers like him… Or at least, one stranger.

**

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** = That actually is a real t-shirt. XD I saw it when I was shopping on the Disney store online and immediately thought "JULIUS! 8D"

**Wow! You guys really keep up with your Disney. ;D Let's see if you can get this one! *evil laughter***

**Previous Answer: The Little Mermaid**

**Congrats to, well, everyone who reviewed on the last chapter- each and every one of you got it right. XD *tosses Peter plushies, but keeps one for myself ;D***

**OKAY! Winners of this one will get *drum roll* DIGITAL NIGHTMARE PLUSHIES! 8D *superhero music***

**Ace: …And me *wink***

**Me: GTFO ACE DX**


	7. Be Our Guest

**7. Be Our Guest**

The trip back to the grand Contemporary Resort was fast- much too fast for Peter White. Each inch the monorail crawled forward was just another inch he would be separated from his dear Alice. The lovely brunette sat across from him with a smile on her face, Boris and Ace on either side of her while Peter was forced to sit next to Julius and Pierce. Neither Julius nor Pierce seemed to appreciate their seat.

When the monorail pulled into its station, Peter felt like his heart dropped. Alice followed Ace, Pierce, and Boris out of the monorail, and Peter numbly went along, barely aware of Julius glaring holes into him.

"So, do you know which part of the hotel you're staying in?" Alice asked curiously, leading the way downstairs. Peter quickly caught up at her side, nodding.

"5th floor." the snow-haired man replied, pointing upwards across the hotel. He smiled, hopeful, as he turned towards the brunette. "And you?"

"Um…" Alice turned towards Julius, and the navy-haired man handed her the black backpack swung over his shoulder, allowing the girl to grab her card from the front zipper. Turning back to Peter- eyes still on the card- she replied, "7th floor." She gestured towards the opposite side, smiling up at the wall of rooms. Peter frowned unpleasantly, but quickly brightened up again.

_If I get to share a hotel with my dear Alice, that's enough… for now. _he thought, fixing the owl-glasses on his face.

"We'll see you again, right?" Pierce asked hopefully, his green eye lit up with pure innocence as he stared at the lone female. Peter shot a small glare to the mouse, not enjoying his brother's interruption.

"Sure." Alice replied, smiling at the redhead. "We're staying for a while, so we can meet up again sometime this week."

"Yay! Thank you, Alice-chan!" Pierce exclaimed, quickly hugging the girl around the waist. Alice stumbled backwards in surprise, but smiled awkwardly, patting the boy on the head.

"D-don't worry about it. Um, you can let go now." the brunette replied, trying to gently pry his arms away. Peter glared at the teen, yanking his brother by the back of his collar away from the girl.

"Leave her alone, would you?" Peter ordered, and Pierce sunk, his lip quivering up at the boy. Peter let him go, allowing Pierce to stumble backwards.

"I guess we'll see you later." Alice said, waving kindly at the brothers as Boris nearly dragged her away from the two.

"Bye, Alice." Peter said, waving sadly at her; watching the group walk off. When the teens disappeared into the hall for the eleavtor, the snow-haired teen roughly grasped his brother's wrist, yanking him roughly towards the elevator across the hotel.

"P-Peta-chan! Wait up! You're going too fast!" Pierce cried, trying to keep up with his brother. Peter ignored the mouse, only pushing harder towards the elevator. His legs pumped fiercely against the polished floors, practically pulling Pierce's weight through the hotel. "P-Peta-chan! Slow down!"

"Stop complaining!" Peter seethed, glaring coldheartedly towards his brother as they reached the elevator, boarding on it impatiently.

The redhead stared up at his brother worriedly, his lower lip quivering as tears brimmed at his emerald eyes. It was often he'd seen Peter in a foul mood, and the youth should very well be used to it by now. However, he still felt that compelled, childish need to cry and try to make things better for the snow-haired man. He knew what his brother had been through- though he couldn't sympathize with the man's situation, Pierce felt as if Peter held more misery than he could see. That is why Pierce never gave up hope for this brother- he tried to let him know that, too. Sure, at times he could come off as annoying or irritating, but what other way was there? All the teenage boy could want is for his brothers to get along, and for Peter to be accepted in this family.

Of course, it was only but a dream.

Peter didn't say anything as they exited the elevator, but Pierce did follow his brother in curiosity as the snow-haired man crouched down behind the brown banisters that kept guests from falling over.

"What are you doing, Peta-chan?" the redhead asked in confusion, only to have Peter stop in front of their rooms; yanking the mouse onto his knees.

"Shh!" Peter shushed him, crimson eyes in a glare before he returned his attention over the banister- across the hotel. Pierce perked his head up towards his brother's gaze curiously, noticing Alice and Ace fumble with their room key as they tried to enter their hotel room.

"OH! Are we spying on Alice-chan, Peta-chan? Like spies?" Pierce asked excitedly, his green eyes lighting up with joy. Peter ducked back behind the banister, roughly pulling the mouse down as well.

"Not so loud!" Peter scolded angrily. "I just wanted to make sure she got to her room alright." A light blush painted his cheeks as he glanced back up at the brunette.

Pierce watched curiously from the side, his emerald orbs lit up in surprise as Peter stared at the female from afar; his expression almost loving. He'd never seen Peter so… happy, was it? No, there had to be a stronger word for the look he gave Alice. It was as if his shattered world had come together at last. It was almost… beautiful.

"Gak! S***!" A hushed whisper for a curse slipped out of Peter's mouth as he ducked back behind the banister; his back pressed firmly against the painted structure.

"Wha? What's wrong?" Pierce asked, peeking up over the banister. He spotted Julius glaring their way, but Peter pulled him down before he got a good look at the man. Pierce stared wide-eyed at Peter, tilting his head to the side. "What's wrong, Peta-chan?"

"Just shut up!" Peter hissed, clamping a hand over the boy's mouth. Pierce blinked in confusion, but worriedly nodded. Sighing, Peter ran a hand through his snow-white hair before returning his attention to the group across the resort. Unfortunately, they had already gone into their room. Peter stood up sadly, making his way to his own hotel room; Pierce quickly following behind.

"Peta-chan, Peta-chan!" Pierce called, trying to catch up. When Peter stopped in front of the room, Pierce stumbled lightly into him, quickly taking several steps backwards and murmuring quick apologies.

"What is it?" Peter demanded in annoyance, glaring at the mouse.

"W-Well, I had a question." the redhead replied timidly, following Peter into the hotel room where their bags awaited them. They could hear the shower running from the bathroom in the small hall before the actual room, and both assumed Elliot was back as well.

"What is it?" Peter muttered, shutting the door behind the younger boy before straying over to a long green couch below a long mirror; lounging lazily on it. He stared up at the bare ceiling as if something up there interested him.

The room was very elegant, but modern at the same time. Two large, Queen-sized beds were propped up against tan- almost a light orange- walls. Dark brown- almost black- headboards sat behind the beds, displaying woods of three different shades to match the walls. The pillows were plush and white, along with the white comforters. Two long green pillows that resembled cylinders were nestled in the middle of the beds by the comforter, giving the white a bit of color. Curtains in three striped shades of brown stretched across a large, oversized window next to the beds. A polished wooden TV stand was propped up next to the couch, displaying a wide, flat screen TV and what appeared to be a DVD player. Several Disney Park ads littered the stand, giving information about the hotel and TV channels. Next to the bed closest to the door was a sleek, glass desk jutting out of the wall with a red rolling chair. A mirror hung above it, along with three ceiling lamps that created a glow in the corner. A white portrait with small splashes of blue, green, brown, and black rested on the wall, above what appeared to be a low dresser. In the hall was a sleek wooden door which could slide to reveal the black and white polished bathroom. Across from it were another two doors; one revealing a closet, while the other was more of a storage space, complete with a microwave. In the middle between these two doors was a small countertop with a mini fridge below it and a coffee machine with mugs and coffee packets. A small portrait hung above the counter; its frame rimmed in brown. Overall it was very sleek and well designed.

"D-Do you like-?" Before Pierce could continue his question, Elliot stepped out of the bathroom; a white towel wrapped loosely around his waist while he ran another through his wavy orange locks. Hot steam poured out from the bathroom, and Peter wrinkled his nose in disgust- shooting his elder brother a quick glare before returning his attention to the ceiling.

"Huh. Didn't think you guys would be back so early." Elliot said, running the tower behind his ears before tossing it into a messy pile on the bathroom floor; heading towards the dresser for a suit. It wasn't a typical dress-up suit, though. Instead, it was casual- more like those you'd wear on a night out clubbing. He changed into the attire- causing his brothers to look away awkwardly- and loosened the purple tie around his neck so it barely hung. He looked like he just stepped out of a dance club.

"What are you all dressed up for?" Peter asked cynically from the couch, his eyes narrowing into slits at the man. Elliot glanced up from the bed, now having sat down to put his shoes on.

"I'm going to Downtown Disney." the man replied, standing upright and snatching his wallet from the desk, slipping it into his pocket. "Blood and Vivaldi are taking the kids down to see that circus thing."

"Cirque du Soleil!" Pierce cried excitedly, his green orbs wide with joy. Elliot raised an eyebrow, nodding. "Whee! Can I come, chu? Please~?"

Elliot sighed. "Blood already got the tickets. You have to stay with the flake."

"Tch." Peter rolled his eyes at the name.

"But Eli-chan!" Pierce whined, his expression heartbroken. "I wanna go, too! Please~, chu?"

Elliot sighed in frustration, gripping his bangs in annoyance. "Fine, fine, get dressed. We'll try to get a ticket for you."

"Yay! Thank you, Eli-chan!" the redhead cried excitedly, giving the older man a quick hug before he snatched up some nice clothes from the dresser and darted for the bathroom. Elliot sighed, shaking his head as he pulled out a Blackberry from his pocket, prepared to warn Blood ahead of time. As he did this, he glanced up at Peter. "So where did you go off to earlier?"

"None of your business." Peter replied curtly, glaring up at the ceiling. Elliot's eyebrows pushed together as he returned his attention to his phone, searching for his cousin.

"Stop being such a jackass. I don't need your attitude." Elliot snapped in annoyance, his large fingers pressing the small buttons rapidly on his phone. "I never asked for your attitude."

"I didn't ask for yours." Peter quipped, refusing to give his brother a glance.

"I just wanted to know where the hell you walked off to- and why you left Blood pissed off for us." Elliot shot a glare at the snow-haired man. When Peter remained silent, Elliot guessed, "You went to meet up with that chick again, didn't you?"

"What's it to you?" Peter muttered from the couch, and Elliot nodded, taking it as a yes.

"I can see why you like her." the orange-haired man said with a nod, almost as if to himself. "She's pretty cute. Plain, but cute."

"Plain?" Peter hissed, his eyes flicking with anger as his head whipped around to face his elder half-brother. It felt like the word was a direct insult to the man. How could he dare call Alice _plain? _

"She's pretty brave to hang out with _you _all day, though." Elliot continued, too absorbed in his text messaging to notice the infuriated look Peter gave. "Then again, it was four against one- well, four against two, but Pierce doesn't count- so your odds weren't good if you screwed with the chick."

"_Excuse me?" _Peter demanded, jumping upright from the couch. Before an argument could begin, Pierce darted out from the bathroom; his black jacket short-sleeved and a collar T-shirt similar to the one he wore earlier underneath. His signature black hat sat on top underneath his favorite mouse ears.

"Ready, Eli-chan!" the redhead sang, grasping the man in a hug. Elliot stumbled back, sighing in irritation.

"Pierce, you can't wear those ears to the circus. Someone will think you're part of the act." the orange-haired man said, reaching for the fuzzy items. Pierce quickly took a step backwards though, his hands covering them like poor shields.

"Ehh? But I want to wear them, chu! Please, Eli-chan? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please?" Pierce pleaded, his eyes watery. Elliot groaned, once again gripping his bangs.

"For the love of… FINE! You can wear them. Just stop begging." Elliot replied, feeling as though he could gain a headache.

"Yay!" Pierce cried, his arms flying in the air excitedly before he turned to Peter. "Peta-chan, hurry! We're gonna go!"

"I'm not going." the crimson-eyed man said bluntly, plopping back down on the couch. Pierce looked shocked.

"Ehh? But that's not fair, chu! You could come!" Pierce cried, but Elliot gripped the back of the kid's collar, pulling him away.

"We're leaving now, Pierce. You're lucky _you _got to come. Don't push your luck." Elliot said, dragging the boy to the door.

"Aww. Bye, Peta-chan." Pierce waved sadly before the door slammed shut. Peter stood at the small corridor, glaring at the door.

"Good riddance." he muttered, spinning around. "WHAT THE HELL?"

On the couch where Peter previously sat was now a new man; his hair long and silver, and an eye patch covered his right eye. Peter knew right away who this was. He couldn't well forget the mind reader, could he?

"Hi!" Nightmare said pleasantly, waving at the man. Peter glared.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN MY ROOM?" the snow-haired man demanded, red eyes with rage and confusion. How _did _he get in? Peter was five stories up in the hotel, if not higher. How the hell did this guy manage to get in?

"No 'hello', again?" Nightmare pouted, almost looking disappointed. "That's rude."

"What are you doing in my room? !" Peter demanded, holding a fist up the man. "Did you _follow _me here? !"

"Not really." Nightmare replied, leaning back in the couch casually. The way he seemed so comfortable about this situation only pissed Peter off more. "I was running from Gray… Then I followed that orange-haired fellow… I ended up hiding under the bed… and now I'm here."

"Is it normal for you to follow people?" Peter seethed, and Nightmare shrugged.

"Depends, really." He smirked, raising an eyebrow at Peter. "Is it normal for you to stalk pretty girls?"

Peter blushed lightly, glaring. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Nightmare laughed, standing up. "Alice, is it? She's very pretty… Sweet, too. An ideal lady, isn't she?"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't read my mind." Peter hissed, and Nightmare laughed once again.

"I can't help it; it's my talent." the silver-haired man said with a shrug.

"Whose Gray, anyways? You've been hiding from him since I met you." Peter noted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"He's my assistant." Nightmare said, wrinkling his nose in annoyance. "He's been trying to get me to do paperwork since we got here!"

"Then just do it and get it over with." Peter replied, clicking his tongue. "It's not that hard."

"That's what _you _think!" Nightmare cried in horror, pointing an accusing finger at the boy. The way he jumped up on the couch in terror with one hand cover his head resembled a small, frightened child. "He wants me to write reports on _hospitals!"_

"So?" the snow-haired teen demanded, looking at the man as if he were crazy… Which, well, he probably was.

"They're terrifying! There's nothing more horrible than a h-h-hospital!" Nightmare stammered, not even sure if he could get the word out. The man shook violently, and Peter stared at him skeptically. This guy was supposed to be _older _than him?

"While that's oh so _interesting, _do you mind getting out of my hotel room?" Peter demanded, pointing a finger at the door. Nightmare's silver eye lit up with terror and he shook his head.

"D-don't make me go out there! Gray will be waiting for me!" he cried, shaking even harder. "Let me stay here- I won't take up much room! Here, I'll even sleep on the couch!"

"GET OUT." Peter ordered, fed up as he grabbed the man's collar and literally dragged him out of the room; tossing him out of the door and slamming it shut behind him- assuring to lock it so he couldn't come in again. The white-haired teen sighed, wobbling towards the couch and plopping closest to the window. Pulling the curtains out of his way, Peter stared at the night sky almost longingly. "Alice…"

* * *

"_OH I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO BE KING~!" _A loud voice sang from the bathroom, and Alice giggled, rolling her eyes as she continued to brush Julius's hair on her bed- much to his embarrassment.

"Sounds like Boris is having fun." the brunette teased, her blue brush running almost too easily through his silky navy locks. If there was any feature she envied about Julius, it would be his hair. It was hardly fair! How could he have such long, gorgeous locks while she was stuck with this petty brown color that looks like mud had taken over it? The man didn't realize how lucky he was.

"Kitty's really going at it." Ace teased from the bed next to theirs, flipping through the channels on TV until he paused at Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

"He really does love The Lion King." Alice said, smiling warmly at the thought. Curiously, she glanced down at Julius, eyes wide. "Hey, Julius…" She brushed his hair gently as she spoke, almost finished.

"Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the television.

"What's _your _favorite Disney movie?" Alice asked curiously, tilting her head to the side as she set the brush down; caressing her hand gently through the man's hair, enjoying its softness.

"Favorite Disney movie?" Julius asked bluntly.

"Yeah! Like, mine's Beauty and the Beast." Alice used as an example, gesturing towards herself. She smiled, recalling the memories of a child staring at the television for hours just to get a glimpse of the film. "I guess that's where I got my love for reading- Belle was always my favorite."

"The Little Mermaid is my film." Ace said, jabbing a proud thumb towards himself. "Can you guess who _my _favorite was?"

"We don't need to guess to know who your favorite was." Alice and Julius deadpanned, staring blankly at the man. Ace laughed.

"You were such a perverted child… then and _now!_" Alice proclaimed, eyebrows pushed into a v-shape at her sibling. Alice chuckled.

"I liked Ariel because of her love for adventure at the time." Ace said, smirking devilishly at the two. "Of course, that doesn't mean I didn't think _other things _growing up."

Both Julius and Alice blushed; shuddering at the thought. Saving them, Boris stepped out of the bathroom- large puffs of steam following after him. He wore his new pajamas; a baggy black t-shirt overtop white Mickey Mouse boxer shorts; similar to the pair Ace wore now.

"Dude, stop trying to strip yourself. We're at a kid's park." Boris scolded Ace, noticing that he wore nothing more than just a pair of Mickey-cartoon boxer shorts. He grabbed a dull orange T-shirt from the dresser, tossing it to the man. Ace laughed as he put it on, and Alice rolled her eyes.

"You should know he's a pig by now." the brunette said, climbing off of the bed and picking up her newly purchased nightgown and necessities from a pile on the couch, heading towards the bathroom. "Mind if I go in?"

"Be my guest." the pink-haired teen replied, waving towards the door.

"Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test!" Alice sang as she stepped into the room, setting her clothes on top of the toilet seat. Ace quickly sat up on his knees, joining in the singing.

"Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie, and we'll provide the rest!"

"Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeuvres! Why, we only live to serve!" Boris joined in, grinning as Alice popped out from the bathroom; the trio of teens dancing about the room in song. Julius stared at the three in shock, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. They all laughed joyously in their song, dancing from bed to bed to couch in excitement.

"Come on, Julius, join in!" Alice said with a laugh as Ace and Boris continued, holding a hand out to the clockmaker. Julius raised a skeptical eyebrow at the woman, rolling his eyes.

"It's childish." he muttered, and Alice rolled her own eyes, chuckling as she gripped his hand; trying to tug him off of the bed.

"Come on, it's fun!" she insisted, pulling him to his feet. Julius blushed, struggling to keep up with the brunette as she practically forced him to dance. "See? Fun!"

"BE OUR GUEST!" Ace and Boris bellowed from atop the beds; diving onto their knees in a rock star pose. Julius coughed uncomfortably, quickly taking a seat; seeing as their song had finished. Alice giggled, returning to the shower.

"Did you have fun, Julius?" Ace asked, slinging a playful arm over his friend's shoulders. The navy-haired man quickly shrugged it off.

"I wouldn't exactly call it _fun." _he replied, looking away. Ace just laughed.

"I told you that you'd be glad to come." the brunette whispered, making sure Boris was too wrapped up in the TV to notice this exchange of words.

"And I believe I told you that's not the reason I came." Julius hissed lowly, glaring away. Ace smirked.

"We've been friends too long for you to hide stuff from me." the knight teased, poking Julius's cheek. "You came because of Alice. Aww, aint that cute? My little sister has a boyfriend!"

"Shut up, Ace." Julius growled, but that didn't stop the brunette.

"You know, she actually has _two _boyfriends. There's you, and then there's Mr. Peter." Ace continued, holding his hands out as if to weigh the options. "I wonder which she'll choose."

Julius's teeth clenched at the mention of Peter, and his navy orbs glared angrily into the wall, ignoring his friend. "She's not stupid. She wouldn't go after a complete stranger- especially one as clingy as him. She probably didn't even notice him spying on her from his floor."

"Are you saying she's going to choose you?" Ace asked, raising an amused eyebrow at his friend. Julius blushed, refusing to answer; merely glaring holes into the poor wall across from him. Ace smirked deviously, a plot forming in his mind. "Then you wouldn't mind if I helped with that, would you?" "What? I don't-" Before Julius could continue, Alice stepped out from the bathroom; blinking a few times to get adjusted to the dim light. Julius and Ace glanced at her, causing a blush to arise to Julius's face at her gown. It was Tinkerbell-themed; a pale green with fake white fur wrapped around the hem at her knees and around the top- creating fuzzy straps to hold the gown in place. She glanced curiously at the boys, noticing the evil expression on her brother's face- it made her uneasy.

"Um, everything okay?" Alice asked, reaching for her brush on the bed and quickly relieving herself of any tangles that threatened to knot in her brunette locks. Julius blinked, and Ace smirked, smacking his friend on the back so he could regain composure and standing up.

"Yeah! Perfectly fine." Ace said, giving the girl a thumbs up. She raised a suspicious eyebrow at him.

"Okay, what are you up to?" she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest after placing the brush on the table.

"Nothing! We just rearranged the sleeping arrangements." Ace replied, and Julius's eyes widened in surprise and regret. "What?" he demanded, but went ignored.

"You and Julius are sharing a bed, and me and Boris will share one." Ace said with a determined nod. Julius blushed, and small dots of pink appeared on Alice's cheeks, but she sighed.

"Okay. I thought you were up to something scary." the brunette answered, pulling her hair behind her back. Julius stared at her in shock.

"Aren't you at all bothered?" he asked in surprise. He was certain she'd freak out and refuse at once.

"Should I be?" Alice asked with a small chuckle, shrugging. "I've known you since I was little. You're my best friend, Julius. It's not like you're going to rape me or anything."

Julius sighed, not sure if he was relieved or not. At least he knew Alice trusted him enough… But if she saw him more than a friend in return, wouldn't she be wary about sharing a bed with him? Or was that just some romantic rumor that he fooled himself into believing?

"Well, lights out, kids!" Ace said, clapping his hands together as he made his way to the lights, flicking them out. Boris glared at him but sighed, crawling under the sheets. Ace joined shortly afterwards, leaving Julius to stare uncomfortably as Alice crawled into their bed. When he didn't join, she raised an eyebrow, sitting up.

"You going to sleep?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I, um, erm, not yet. I'm… not tired." the man lied, coughing uncomfortably and averting his eyes. Alice shrugged, sitting up.

"I'm not really tired, either. Mind if I stay up with you?" she asked, and Julius mentally cursed but nodded. Both glanced at Boris and Ace, noticing that the two fell asleep right away. Julius sat down at the edge of the bed, and Alice crawled forth; sitting next to him with a small smile. "Hey, you never got back to me about your favorite Disney movie."

Julius blushed, looking away. "I don't have one." he lied.

"Really?" Alice stared at him in shock; blue orbs wide. "I thought everyone had one." Julius shook his head.

"Not me." he replied in a murmur. Alice frowned, turning her gaze to her lap.

"Oh."

It got quiet for a while; a long silence taking over between the two. It wasn't until he heard soft breathing that Julius realized Alice fell asleep in place. Gently nudging her, he whispered, "Alice. Alice, wake up."

When she didn't stir, he sighed, scooping her up in his arms and laying her down on the bed; pulling the blankets back so he could tuck her in. The man crawled underneath as well, scooting next to the girl. He was tempted to wrap an arm around her waist, but fought against it; how would he explain that when she woke up?

Instead, he leaned forward so his lips were at her ear and whispered, "It was Alice in Wonderland."

**

* * *

**

SUPER LONG CHAPTER FOR YOU ALL. 8D *cheers* Stayed up until 3:13AM working on this, so I hope you enjoy! ^w^;; *is very tired now, and has "I Just Can't Wait to be King" stuck in my head*

**I was gonna write a Joker + Mafia scene at the end of this, but I'm too tired and will probably lose my motivation in the morning. ;~; It'll have to wait for another chapter, I guess. **

**You guys keep guessing these right! D,8 No fair. I'mma lose all my plushies!**

**Previous Answer: Tarzan (I love that movie. 8D The soundtrack is beyond inspiring.)**

**Congrats to everyone who guessed for that chapter- you all got it right. ^w^;; *tosses Nightmare plushies, but keeps one for myself XD***

**Ace: Can I be a prize now? ;D**

**Me: WTH? ! DX STOP POPPING OUT OF RANDOM PLACES!**

**Ace: Please~?**

**Me: *holds him up by the collar* Screw the plushies next chapter, first person to guess the movie can HAVE him. DX *waits for the fan girl fights to begin XD***

**Ace: *pouts* What about the fan girls that don't guess first?**

**Me: They can either have clones of you or plushies. O_o…**


	8. I'll Make a Man Out of You

**8. I'll Make A Man Out of You**

The Hatter mafia exited Cirque du Soleil la Nouba; some happy while others… not so much. Dee and Dum pranced about excitedly, talking amongst themselves about the show excitedly. Elliot followed the two, trying to ignore Pierce's excited blabbering from on his back. Vivaldi spoke small talk with Blood, also seeming to have enjoyed the circus. Her brother, however, just glared ahead; annoyed.

"Hey, Boss!" Both twins said excitedly; their red and blue eyes lit up with wonder as they turned towards Blood. "What scene did _you _like? What was your favorite?"

"Shut up, you little stains!" Elliot hissed in a low whisper, setting Pierce on his feet to glare at the twins. "You're too loud! You know you can't call him that in public!"

"Yes we can, stupid rabbit!" Dee argued hotly.

"Yeah! Suck an egg, dumb bunny!" Dum chimed in, and Elliot gritted his teeth.

"I. Am. Not. A. RABBIT!" The orange-haired man shouted, earning a few odd looks as he held a fist up to the boys.

"Wha! Eli-chan, calm down! Calm down!" Pierce exclaimed worriedly, hugging his brother from the side. Elliot roughly shoved him off.

"Would you four please quiet down? You're giving me a migraine." Blood said in irritation from the side; his navy orbs glaring into the group. Elliot quickly backed off, and Pierce cowered behind his brother. Dee and Dum, however, raced up to the black-haired man and grinned.

"What did you like?" they asked in unison, and Blood sighed.

"I couldn't enjoy myself at all." he replied bluntly. "I slept through the whole thing."

"Wha-? But it was so much fun!" Pierce argued; green orbs wide with shock. He could hardly believe what he was hearing from his cousin. "All the costumes were so pretty!"

Blood sighed in annoyance, pressing his fingers against his temples as if to ward off an oncoming headache. "There were some nuisances there that I'd much rather not run into."

Elliot's face grew serious; his eyebrows pushing together as he analyzed his cousin, knowing what he meant. Dee and Dum exchanged pouts, and Pierce glanced between them all in confusion.

"Is there something We are missing?" Vivaldi asked from Blood's left, raising a confused eyebrow at the men as she stared at them with unsure violet eyes.

Blood sighed, leaning towards his sister so he could whisper in her ear. Vivaldi's eyes widened at these inaudible whispered, and she sighed unpleasantly, frowning as well.

"It appears they always find a way to spoil an occasion." the woman concluded, annoyance flicking in her eyes. "It's very surprising that we'd run into them here of all places, though."

"You know how they can be." Blood argued, and Vivaldi nodded in agreement.

"It can't be helped then." she said with a frown- almost pouting. "We'll just have to settle this now."

"I don't need to settle anything. Everything was taken care of years ago." Blood muttered childishly, and Vivaldi rolled her eyes.

"You're very immature." she stated bluntly, poking his cheek. "It would hardly kill anyone to give a hello."

"They're total jackasses." Elliot objected, and Vivaldi glared at him.

"Very well, I'll go myself." she argued, lifting her chin high in the air before spinning on her heel- back towards the circus.

"We want to go, we want to go!" The twelve-year-olds sang, but went ignored to the others.

"I thought you hated men like them." Blood grumbled, eyes piercing in annoyance at his sister. Vivaldi paused, throwing her head back towards the man.

"I do. That's not to say I can't be civil. Unlike some people…" Blood glared harshly as Vivaldi wrinkled her nose at her brother, turning back towards the circus. He sighed, stalking behind.

"Blood…" Elliot said with caution, and the raven-haired man glared at his family, nodding for them to follow. Elliot hesitated a moment but nodded, taking off after his cousin.

* * *

Dim sunlight streamed in through the curtains of the Liddell's hotel room, and Julius wrinkled his nose, sighing as he rolled over. He was prepared to feel Alice next to him, but when he didn't, the man blinked his eyes open in confusion. He was certain they'd shared a bed last night…

Glancing over, he noticed the girl on the couch; a black laptop on her lap as her narrow fingers eagerly typed away on the keyboard; her eyebrows pushed together in frustration. Rubbing his eyes, Julius sat up- watching the girl in confusion.

"Alice?" he questioned, his voice still full of sleep. The brunette paused her assault on the keyboard to glance up at her friend; turquoise eyes wide with curiosity and irritation. They quickly softened, however, when she noticed who it was.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Alice apologized, frowning at him once before continuing her message on the computer.

"No. Not entirely." the navy-haired man replied, struggling to climb to his feet. Noticing his wobbly state, Alice quickly made her way over to him- slipping under his arm so she could lead him to the couch. Julius blushed, but the brunette didn't notice. Once he was settled on the cushions, Alice resumed her position in front of the computer; continuing to type noisily away. "What time is it?"

Alice glanced at the time on the laptop and replied, "5AM."

Julius gave her a look that screamed "are you crazy? !". "Why are you up at 5AM?"

"I forgot to put this report in for my dad. He's been emailing me all night." Alice replied, her fingers finally pausing on the keyboard as she sighed tiredly. "I've been up for an hour trying to sum everything up."

"You've been up since _four__ in the morning?_" Julius demanded, shocked. Alice nodded, yawning a little.

"Boris and Ace didn't put their reports in, either. I had to make theirs up." the brunette stated, sighing heavily. "It's good that I shared a bed with you, though. You sleep like the dead. Ace kicks and Boris hits." She wrinkled her nose, shaking her head at the thought.

Julius nodded, taking it as a compliment. Alice yawned and the man frowned, turning towards her. "You need your sleep. I'll take care of this."

"No, it's okay. I'm almost done, anyways." the brunette said, her fingers back at the keyboard. "Just a few more sentences…"

Julius sighed, shaking his head. "You're such a troublesome woman."

Alice giggled, shrugging. "So I've been told."

It was quiet for a while between them; Julius watched silently as Alice finished up her reports for Gowland. The only noise was the clicks of her fingers against the keyboard and Boris and Ace snoring on their bed. After what felt like forever, she finally hit send and sighed in relief; signing out and X'ing out of the internet.

"I thought it'd never end." she said with a satisfied grin, logging off and shutting down the laptop; slipping it back in her suitcase. She glanced at the alarm clock, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "I should probably get dressed…"

"You need your sleep." Julius argued, pointing to the bed. Alice shook her head, standing up to stretch.

"If I sleep now, I'll sleep in too late." she objected, sighing as she walked towards the coffee maker in the hall. Glancing at Julius she asked, "Do you want any coffee?"

"Not that you'll listen to me, but you don't have to make mine." Julius argued, and as he predicted, Alice ignored him.

"I'll take that as a yes." she replied with a grin, reaching for the packets. The navy-haired man sighed, shaking his head before he grabbed some more suitable clothes for the day from the dresser.

"Troublesome woman." he said as he walked past- patting her on the head before stepping into the restroom to change. Alice smiled as she waited for the coffee to brew.

When both were dressed in appropriate skirts, jeans, and t-shirts- all in Disney style, of course- the coffee was ready, and Alice had already poured it into mugs for them.

"You can't judge me on how I make coffee _this _time." the brunette teased, handing him his glass as she plopped down next to him on the bed. Julius smirked.

"We'll see."

It would've been a nice, peaceful moment if it weren't for a _disturbance _that awoke from his slumber; his usual wide and playful grin spread on his face as he sat up and analyzed the two.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ace teased, smirking deviously at the two. Julius blushed lightly and Alice rolled her eyes. Before either could speak, the brunette laid back down- still grinning at the two. "Don't mind me, you crazy kids. Pretend I'm not even here."

"Us? Crazy kids?" Alice deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at her brother. "Look whose talking."

"Haha!" Ace laughed, seeming unbothered by her statement. "I said pretend I'm not here- carry on. I want to see how this turns out."

"How can we pretend you're not there when you're talking to us?" Julius hissed in annoyance, glaring at his friend. Ace laughed once again, proving Julius's point.

"Should I just leave you two alone then?" Ace challenged, raising an eyebrow. Julius blushed once again and a light pink tint made its way to Alice's cheeks.

"I think you should get changed." Alice deadpanned once again, taking a sip of her coffee. "And wake the cat up- we need to get to the park soon."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Ace said, giving a false salute before violently shoving Boris off of the bed- startling the teens. "Wake up, kitty! Rise and shine!"

"NYA!" Boris cried in shock, frantically reaching for the bed only to fall flat on his stomach on the floor; the sheets tangled around his legs. Ace grinned, happily grabbing some clothes from the dresser and heading into the bathroom.

"Boris! Are you alright?" Alice asked, quickly reaching down to help her cousin up. The pink-haired teen moaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"When I get my hands on that freak I'll strangle him." Boris growled, topaz eyes glaring with full hatred at the nightstand, for his position didn't allow him to see anything else. Alice sighed, helping him untangle his legs from the sheets and stand up.

"Don't think I won't stop you." Alice said, smiling awkwardly. Boris rolled his eyes, rubbing the back of his head as if he could comfort it.

"Where are we going today?" he asked with a yawn, also grasping his clothes from the dresser. He yanked his pajama top off, pulling on a Simba-themed one. Typical Boris, of course.

"EPCOT." Alice replied, smiling as she took her seat back next to Julius.

"EPCOT… What's that stand for, anyways?" the teen asked, scratching the back of his head subconsciously before he reached for his boxers.

"It stands for- EH?" Alice blinked, blushing as she shook her head at the teen. "B-Boris! _Really now? _You don't need to get changed right _here! _Cousin or not, use the bathroom!" The brunette worked to shield her eyes, and Julius grimaced at the teen averting his gaze as well.

"Huh?" Boris glanced down, quickly blinking awake. "Oh! Crap! Sorry, Alice. Still kind of tired… Wasn't paying attention…"

"Obviously." Julius hissed, and Boris wrinkled his nose, relieved when Ace stepped out of the bathroom in brown shorts and a large red t-shirt displaying several Mickey Mouse characters. The teen quickly dove in, slamming the door behind him. Ace plopped on his bed happily; grinning like the idiot he was at his friend and sister.

"…Why are you so happy?" Alice asked, that suspicious feeling crawling inside of her again. Nothing was ever safe when Ace gave that smile.

"No reason." he answered, turning his grin to Julius. It seemed to irritate the man.

"Why don't you go bother someone else?" the navy-haired man demanded, annoyed.

"Does that mean you two want some alone time?" Ace asked, winking at them. They blushed; eyes widening in outrage.

"You're such a pervert!" Alice cried, reaching for a pillow to toss it at her brother's face. Ace grinned, catching the cotton easily.

"Just shut up and leave." Julius ordered, pointing to the door.

"Oh, so that _does _mean you want alone time." Ace teased, grinning devilishly at the two as he stood up, slowly making his way to the door. "Don't worry, I'll leave. Just try to be careful with her, Julius. My little 'sis is very _sensitive._"

"Ace!" Alice shrieked, her cheeks burning in crimson. "What the hell! ?"

"You're a damn nuisance. Go away." Julius ordered, his own face a bright red.

"Haha! Blushing, you two?" the brunette taunted, crossing his arms in front of his chest triumphantly. He certainly knew how to make a morning awkward. "Are you guys thinking _naughty things?_"

"GET THE HELL OUT!" Both shouted in unison, pointing to the door. Ace laughed, prepared to make another comment. However, Boris saved them by exiting the bathroom.

"What's all the yelling about?" he asked, glancing in confusion between the three. "Somebody win The Price is Right?" Julius and Alice sighed, trying to ignore the taunting grin ace gave them.

"Nothing, let's just go." Alice insisted, grabbing her backpack from the couch and slinging it over her shoulder. Julius nodded in agreement.

Alice exited the room quickly, Boris following behind- questioning her about her blush. Ace put on his shoes and grinned as he paused by Julius at the doorway. The man glared, however, and punched him roughly in the arm.

"Hey! What was that for?" Ace asked, the smile never leaving his face as Julius led the way out.

"What _wasn't _it for would be a better question." Julius hissed, rushing to the elevator, for Alice and Boris were already on their way to the monorail. Ace easily caught up, chuckling.

"Just trying to help a guy out." the brunette joked. "You didn't get rejected, right? And you definitely didn't reject her…"

"Right now, Ace, the only thing that's I want _rejected _is your existence." Julius growled angrily, stepping into the elevator. Ace laughed, stepping in as well.

"That's not nice!" the brunette said with a laugh. Julius gritted his teeth, rolling his eyes. "You two would make a cute couple. Y'know what? I'll help you out all the way! Don't worry, bro. I guarantee by the end of this trip, Alice will be yours. No need to thank me, I got you covered! I'll make a real man out of you."

"Gee, that's _great_, Ace. And you want to know what _I'm _going to do?" Julius asked, his tone filled with false cheeriness.

Ace tilted his head curiously, expecting some kind of gift. "What?"

"I'm going to be shoving my _foot _up _your ass. _Don't worry, by the end of this trip, I _guarantee_ you'll have a nice gaping hole where your ass should be. No need to thank me, I got you covered." Julius replied, his voice layered in sarcasm and annoyance.

Ace pouted. "That's harsh, bro."

Julius glared. "That's reality. _Bro._"

**

* * *

**

Poor Alice and Julius. XD Ace just won't leave them alone, will he? No Peter this chapter, unfortunately. ;~; He'll be in the next chapter, though! 8D So will Nightmare and Gray… *evil laughter*

**Wow, Ace, you really know how to make a morning awkward. XD So much for coffee, eh, Julius?**

**Gah! I **_**should **_**make these harder, but it's kind of hard to find Disney songs that are both hard to know and match the chapter. -_-'' I'll try, I promise. It's a long story, so there's bound to be some evilly hard songs eventually. XD**

**Previous Answer: Beauty and the Beast**

**Congrats to octicy for making the guess in time to have Ace, but since she doesn't want him, the second one to answer gets him- congrats, Minori-chan! *hands her Ace* …You can keep him, by the way. ;D**

**Congrats to everyone else who guessed, because you got it right, and you can have plushies! 8D *sparkly shojo eyes* *tosses them to the winners* Yippee~!**

**Blood: *pops out of backpack* I request to be a prize next. ;D**

**Me: ADSADSDJAK WHAT? ! WHY ARE YOU IN THERE? O_O**

**Blood: *dull look* I'm your dream stalker, why **_**wouldn't**_** I be in here?**

**Me: I THOUGHT YOU LEFT! D8**

**Blood: That doesn't mean I can't come back… ;D**

**Me: *zippers him back up and tosses bag in random alley before curling up in fetal position* There's no place like home, there's no place like home… O_O**

**Next prizes are Boris plushies. Go nuts. XD**

**Probably the last story I update before new years, so HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! 8D Hope it's better than every other year combined. :3**


	9. Just Keep Swimming

**9. Just Keep Swimming**

It was bound to be a long, tiresome day. Without Alice, it was as if his entire world were turned to a dull black and white. How bored he would be without seeing the lovely brunette; so depressed, so miserable. Would he ever see the beautiful teen again? Sure, they shared a hotel for now, but at what odds would they actually be able to speak to each other- enjoy each other's company? He didn't even have her cell phone number! What foolish hoping he had to believe fate would ever give them the time of day.

Peter White sighed- his mood disappointed and irritable- as he followed lazily behind his relatives toward the monorail. He'd rather be left behind than spend his day with these imbeciles.

"Peta-chan, Peta-chan!" Pierce called excitedly from Elliot's back; waving to get his brother's attention.

The white-haired man growled lowly, but reluctantly allowed his crimson orbs to meet a pair of green. "What is it?"

"E-Eh, Why do you look so mad?" the redhead asked; his eyes brimming with frightened tears. Peter gritted his teeth, annoyed.

"What does it matter?" he demanded, glaring.

"W-well, you should be happy! Alice-chan wouldn't want to see Peta-chan mad…" Pierce replied, sheepishly pointing towards the monorail station. Peter flicked his eyes toward the platform, his orbs widening when he took in the young woman and her family in line for the monorail.

With his heart skipping a beat, Peter raced forward towards Blood- glaring at the man as he pointed towards the monorail station. "That way."

Blood raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"We have to go that way! Wherever Alice is going!" Peter exclaimed- glancing wildly between the brunette and his cousin.

"No way, stupid bunny!" Dee argued from Blood's side; blue eyes staring coldly at the rabbit.

"Yeah! We're going to Animal Kingdom!" Dum agreed, wrinkling his nose in annoyance at Peter. The older man hissed at the twins.

"We have to go see Alice! We have to!" Peter exclaimed childishly, jumping up and down in impatience. He hated going unheard. Blood sighed in annoyance, navy eyes boring into the man with thick irritation.

"We're not going." he said bluntly, brushing past the man.

"Why not?" Peter huffed noisily, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Because we already had plans." Blood argued, hardly paying any attention to the white-haired teen.

"But I want to see my Alice!" Peter whined, his red eyes carrying full hatred towards the elder male. "I must see my Alice!"

"You know, I'd love to spend some time with that young lady." Vivaldi spoke up from the back, smirking at her brother. "She was absolutely adorable."

"Tch. You'd spend time with your stuffed animals all day if you could." Blood snipped, and Vivaldi glared; unpleased with his snide comment. Blood sighed. "Very well, Peter. How _much _do you want to see Alice?"

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, confused now as he tilted his head to the side; narrowing his eyes at the Dupre. Blood sighed.

"I'm taking us all to see Alice, but that doesn't mean I won't require compensation. How _much _do you want to see her? What will you do so you can see her?" Blood asked, pausing his steps to turn towards Peter. The snow-haired man glanced nervously to the monorail platform, noticing that the monorail was turning towards the resort.

"Yes, yes, I'll do anything! Just let me see my Alice!" Peter cried, eyes locked desperately on the brunette. Blood smirked, nodding.

"Very well. Let's go." he said, waving for the others to follow. Dee and Dum pouted, but the others seemed unbothered by this new decision. Peter was ecstatic.

"ALICE!" he cried cheerfully, running as fast as he could towards the stairs to the platform.

* * *

"Did you hear something?" Alice asked, glancing around in confusion. She stood next to Boris at the platform station for the monorail; her turquoise eyes analyzing the hotel around her curiously. She could've sworn she heard somebody call her name…

"Now that you mention it-" Boris began, but Julius cut them off.

"No. I didn't hear anything." the navy-haired man deadpanned; his arms folded firmly in front of his chest as he glared at nothing in particular. Alice rose an eyebrow at him. He seemed colder than earlier.

"Are you okay, Julius?" Alice asked, placing a hand on his forehead and her own; checking his temperature. He blushed, blinking in confusion. "You don't have a fever, but your face is really red. Are you feeling alright? Do you need to stay at the hotel?"

"N-no!" he exclaimed, swatting her hands away. Alice dropped her arms, frowning. "I'm fine. It's just… stuffy in here. And noisy. It's giving me a migraine."

"Oh." Alice replied, quickly reaching for her backpack.

Julius raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Here." the brunette said, holding out a bottle of aspirin. "That should help for now."

"…Thanks." Julius replied with a sigh, stuffing the medicine into his pocket before turning back to the monorail. In truth, he _had _heard something. He knew exactly where it was coming from as well- he just hoped that the _pest _wouldn't show up in time to get a hold of them. Just a few more minutes and they could leave. He glanced at his watch impatiently, frowning. The monorail should be there any minute. Hurry, hurry…

"ALICE!" Heads turned and a curse escaped Julius's lips when they spotted Peter at the edge of the stairs, waving excitedly at the group. Alice smiled, waving him forward- much to her friend's disappointment.

"Good morning, Peter." the brunette greeted kindly once the snow-haired man reached the group; a wide, elated grin spread across his pink-tinted face.

"Good morning, my dear!" Peter sang happily, feeling as though he were on cloud nine.

"_My dear?" _Alice thought awkwardly, but kept her smile up nonetheless. "I didn't expect to see you today. Did you sleep well?"

Peter's eye twitched at the reminder of sleep. In fact, it had the complete opposite inpact; he'd been forced to sleep next to Pierce, and the crybaby clung to him for the majority of the night. It was far beyond annoying. Deciding to not dread his misfortunes on the girl, he smiled and lied. "Perfectly! And you?"

"Pretty good. I had to wake up early, though." she replied, yawning slightly at the thought. "I slept well, though. Julius sleeps like the dead." Alice chuckled, while Peter's eye twitched.

"You mean you slept in the same _bed _as this man?" he asked, jabbing a thumb towards Julius. The navy-haired man gave a slight smirk, enjoying Peter's discomfort. Julius was only supposed to be a friend to Alice, correct? Then on what planet for what reason would she allow him to share a bed with her? ! Their relationship towards each other must have been far worse than poor Peter thought.

"Yeah, why not? He's my friend." Alice replied innocently; wide, confused eyes watching Peter's face fall between heartbroken and outrage. She couldn't make sense of his despair; wasn't it normal to share beds with friends?

"Weren't you at all worried? Friend or not, he's still a man! They're very troublesome creatures!" Peter exclaimed, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. "He could've done horrible things to you!"

Alice blinked, a blush forming on her cheeks when she realized what he was getting to. A giggle escaped her throat though, surprising the white-haired teen. "Julius isn't like that, Peter. He would never hurt me. He's my best friend, after all. Thank you for worrying about me, though. That's really sweet."

Peter blinked, blushing a little. Alice smiled, turning back towards the oncoming monorail. Julius frowned at the two, muttering a few words under his breath.

"Haha! Your thoughts are very interesting." A sudden voice startled the group; wide, outraged eyes of Julius and Peter meeting Nightmare's silver one.

"YOU!" both men cried in unison, quickly turning to each other in confusion. "You know this man? Yes!"

"…College roommates." Julius explained, eyes narrowing at Peter. How he knew Nightmare Gottschalk was only but a wonder to him. "You?"

"He's been stalking me for the past day or so." Peter replied, averting his eyes awkwardly and scratching the side of his cheek.

"Hmph. So the stalker becomes stalked." Julius scoffed, and Peter glared.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded angrily.

"Boys, boys. No fighting, please?" Alice tried to reason awkwardly, turning towards Nightmare. "Um, hello. I'm Alice."

"Ah! So you're the infamous Alice everyone's been going on about." Nightmare said with a grin. Julius and Peter exchanged irritated glances, quickly turning their anger towards the silver-haired man between them. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" Alice tilted her head to the side curiously. "Good things, I hope."

Nightmare snickered- his laugh almost dark in a way. "Oh, you have _no_ idea…"

"Nightmare." Julius interrupted, clearing his throat to gain the mind reader's attention. "What are you doing here? I thought you graduated."

"I did." Nightmare said proudly. "I got a job, too. Dad handed me down the business. I'm taking a vacation, though Gray keeps trying to get me to do paperwork."

Julius shook his head. "I should've known the iguana would be here, too. I assume you're hiding? _Again?_"

"No!" Nightmare cried, frowning. "…Maybe a little. Gray's letting me have the day off, though, so I can go to the parks with you guys!"

"Right." Gray agreed from behind, startling the teens. It was as if the man was part ninja or something.

"Who said we're letting you come with us?" Julius deadpanned, narrowing his navy eyes at the supposed head of "Gottschalk Hospitals". "We never invited you."

"We'd much prefer _not _to have your company." Peter chimed in distastefully. Julius glared at the man.

"Who said we're even allowing _you_ to come?" he demanded hastily. Alice sighed, shaking her head at the men.

"Really? Have some courtesy, you two. Any friend of Julius is a friend of mine, and you're both _welcome _to come." Alice said, smiling kindly at Nightmare and Gray. The silver-haired man and his colleague smiled in response.

"Who said their my friends?" Julius mumbled.

"How cruel!" Nightmare cried, half heartbroken. Ace laughed from Julius's side.

"May I and my family come, too, Alice?" Peter asked, clasping his hands together hopefully. The brunette smiled, nodding.

"I don't see why not." she replied with a shrug, noticing Peter's family finally catching up to him. Peter beamed.

"Thank you, Alice!" he cried happily, capturing the girl into a tight hug. Alice blinked in confusion. She would've stumbled backwards if it weren't for the man holding her up.

"N-No problem." she replied awkwardly, trying to shove him off. "You can let go now, Peter!"

"Oh! I'm sorry." Peter quickly apologized, letting the girl go; however, he did not remove his hands from her shoulders. Alice blushed a little, smiling unsurely up at the man. Julius glared at the two from behind, hatred thoughts spinning in his head.

"Don't worry, Julius." Ace said, slinging an arm around his friend's shoulder. Julius glared, shoving his arm off. "I'll hook you two up one way or another. In fact, I have the perfect plan right now."

"Any plan of yours is bound to fail." the clockmaker deadpanned. Ace smiled his goofy smile either way, ignoring his friend's words.

"Actually, that's not a half bad idea." Nightmare mused, causing Julius to flinch at the sudden closeness of the man. "Girls are usually suckers for that kind of stuff."

"_What _kind of stuff?" Julius demanded, eyeing the men suspiciously.

Ace and Nightmare grinned. "You'll see."

"_Please stand clear of the doors." _A loud, automotive voice interrupted the trio as a yellow-striped monorail pulled up to the station; its white sliding doors opening up for guests. Peter graciously took Alice's hand; helping her onto the station. The brunette rose an eyebrow, but grinned nonetheless, allowing him to help her to a seat. Julius wrinkled his nose at the two as he stepped in, sitting down on the opposite chairs, for Alice was squished between the window and Peter as it was.

"So where is the young lady going?" Blood asked from Peter's other side, earning a glare from the crimson-eyed man. Alice glanced at the Mafioso uneasily.

"EPCOT, actually." she replied thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side. "That's okay with you guys, right?"

"Absolutely!" Peter cheered, and Alice was concerned that if his smile grew any larger that it just might fall off of his face. "Anywhere Alice wants to go is fine with us!"

Alice shrugged. "If you say so…" Turning to Julius, she grinned. "Hey, Julius-" Her smile promptly dropped when she noticed the sour expression on the man's face. "What's wrong? You look pissed."

"I'm not. I'm fine." the navy-haired man replied, looking away. He grimaced when he realized he'd just turned away to look at an idiotically grinning Ace. Before the brunette could speak he muttered, "Shut up."

"Hey Mr. Grumpy Gils." Ace pushed, a sudden jolt hitting the monorail as it began to take off towards their destination. It was crowded with the Hatter mafia, Alice's family, and several other guests squeezing in the car; Pierce clung to a pole, praying he wouldn't fall over. Gray sighed from next to the boy, holding his elbow so he wouldn't crash into Nightmare, whom was relaxing gleefully next to Julius. Dee and Dum were tormenting some baby nearby, while Elliot tried to stop them, and Vivaldi rested next to Blood; a migraine coming on.

"You wouldn't dare." the navy-haired man said, his tone low and deadly. Ace's grin seemed to multiply in joy.

"When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do?" he continued.

"Shut up, Ace." Julius hissed through gritted teeth. He didn't need that song stuck in his head. Not now, not ever. At what point would Ace listen, though?

"Just keep swimming. Just keeping swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim!" Ace sang, grinning like the idiot he was as Julius clamped his hands childishly over his ears.

"DAMN IT! You're going to get that song stuck in my head!" he shouted angrily, pulling at his hair as if he could yank the words out. Ace ignored him joyously, continuing with his tune. Alice giggled from across the two, and Peter frowned slightly at her. Julius ignored them, too busy trying to get the song out of his head. "ACE SHUT UP!

**

* * *

**

Filler chapter~. Sorry. =/ Don't worry, we get some good stuff in the next chapter. XD The Jokers will either appear in the next chapter, the following one, or a few chapters away. (It all depends on how I space the story out.) I'd like to get them in the next chapter, but that might not work out. *shrug* We'll have to see. Gray will have a bigger part in the next chapter, I promise!

**I really don't like Ace, but I'd **_**love **_**to have him as a brother. XD**

**Damn- looks like you all got it right again. -_-'' *tosses Boris plushies out* Go nuts. XD Next plushie prize shall be Gray plushies. Go wild, you crazy fan girls, you. ;3**

**Previous Answer: Mulan**

**Hope everyone had a good New Years! I'm gonna try to get the first chapter of The Game of Heartache out within the next few days- wish me luck!**


	10. A Girl Worth Fighting For

**10. A Girl Worth Fighting For**

Florida couldn't get any better. Bright, golden sunlight washed down on the southern state's concrete pavement; its light dancing across the white globe of the giant golf ball- erm, Spaceship Earth- arising before the men and women. Long marble tiles with pictures and names sat before the ball, and a gorgeous fountain splashed cold water onto oversized stones in front. Grand music far more magical than anything Alice had experienced played in a medley, welcoming the teens as the park opened.

"It's so beautiful!" Alice exclaimed, her azure eyes wide and shining with innocence and admiration as she stared in complete awe at the scene. The bustling of the crowd went unnoticed to her as her orbs strayed to Spaceship Earth, caught up in its beauty. Peter smiled softly, enjoying the girl's happiness.

"Do you want to ride it, Alice?" he asked cheerily at her side, pointing ahead to the attraction as the group made their way to the shaded queue. Alice nodded, a wide grin spread across her face.

"Wait, stupid bunny!" Dee called from behind, catching the couple's attention- much to Peter's irritation.

"We want to ride with the pretty lady!" Dum chimed in, both twins quickly clinging onto the brunette's arms. Alice took a step back in surprise, not having expected them to grab hold of her.

"Back off, vermin!" Peter hissed, glaring heatedly at the two. "Let go of my Alice! I'm riding with her!"

"Nuh-uh, stupid rabbit! We are!" the twins argued, standing in front of the teen as if to guard her. Alice rose an eyebrow at the three, watching blankly as they argued over who would ride with the girl.

* * *

The minute the groups stepped into the gates of EPCOT, Ace's plan had commenced. Operation "Get The Idiots Together" was underway.

**Plan A: The Hero**

"I have to do _what?_" Julius demanded, glaring in outrage at his idiotic friend s they stood outside Spaceship Earth- off to the side and out of hearing distance from the arguing Peter and his cousins.

"Come on, Julius, it's not that hard!" Ace replied, smacking his friend playfully on the back. "Nightmare said he'll get Gray to pick a fight with Alice, and you go in and rescue her! You'll be her hero! Girls always fall for that stuff."

"I'm not picking a fight with her." Gray said bluntly, raising an eyebrow at the two. Nightmare pouted at his side.

"No fair, Gray! I want to see how this turns out!" the mind-reader whined, resembling a small child. The lizard-neck groaned, pressing a hand against his forehead.

"You're all acting like children." The nanny- rather, the assistant- said; topaz eyes glaring into the trio.

"For once I couldn't agree more." Julius agreed, hardly believing that he and the iguana were sharing the same opinion as he crossed his arms firmly in front of his chest. "This is stupid."

"Do you want Alice or not? She's a girl worth fighting for, isn't she?" Ace asked with a challenging- almost mocking- smirk, quickly turning to Gray. "Do your stuff, ninja dude!"

Gray huffed, shaking his head as he walked towards Alice- going completely unknown to Peter or the twins. The men watched eagerly from behind, awaiting for the result and Julius's cue.

"You're Alice, aren't you?" Gray mused, stepping up to the brunette. Alice turned towards the man, smiling up at him with a nod.

"Yes. You're a friend of Julius's, right? Gray is it?" she asked kindly, and the assistant nodded an affirmative.

"Gray Ringmarc. A pleasure to meet you." he said, flashing her a small smile as he held his hand out towards the girl. Alice grinned, shaking it.

"I'm Alice Liddell. Pleasure's all mine." she replied, feeling exceptionally short compared to the tall, silent man. Gray's gold eyes gleamed as an idea struck him.

"While they're arguing, do you want to go on the ride? I don't think their struggle will end soon." the lizard said, glancing at Peter and the twins. Alice averted her gaze to the boys and sighed in agreement.

"You're probably right." she said, smiling up at the man. "Sure."

Ace and Julius stared in disbelief as Gray hooked arms with the brunette, leading her into the rectangle doorway that led into the ride. Nightmare smirked in amusement from behind, wishing he had a box of popcorn to eat during this entertaining show.

"Looks like my assistant got to her before either of you." the silver-haired man said, his grin widening at the thought. Julius punched him roughly in the gut, feeling no sympathy towards the man as he bent over; trickles of crimson dripping from his lips.

"Gak!" Nightmare cried, reaching for his handkerchief to wipe away the blood. A sickening motion ran across his aching body and with a teary silver eye, he glanced up at his friend. In a whimper he asked, "What was that for?"

Julius didn't reply; his navy eyes silencing the mind reader with a stone cold gaze. He didn't need to speak out loud for Nightmare to know what he was thinking. Ace whistled at the scene, nodding with raised eyebrows.

"Nice punch." he complimented, shrugging off the scene as if it hadn't happened. "So I guess Plan A backfired a little. Don't worry, we'll get her with the next one."

"_A little?"_ Julius hissed, glaring angrily at the brunette. Ace seemed unbothered by this.

"You'll get her in bed in no time!" Ace replied confidently, giving Julius a thumbs up. The navy-haired man heartlessly punched the man in the stomach as well, watching in satisfaction as Ace bent over.

"Hey, that hurt!" he whined.

Julius sneered. "Good."

**

* * *

Plan B: Falling For You**

"Lookie, brother! If we stick our heads under here, we can drink as much as we want!" Dee exclaimed happily, pointing to the several small Sprite and Cola fountain dispensers that rested in circles inside the Coca-Cola showcase of "Club Cool". Dum grinned mischievously, following his brother's lead by shoving his head under one of the dispensers; pressing the button so long, full squirts of soda pouted into each of their mouths.

A female cashier stared in horror at the twins, quickly rushing off to find the closest adult that arrived with the children- namely, a large man with wavy orange hair that was currently helping his raven-haired friend find some type of Cola-flavored tea, if such a thing even existed.

"S-Sir!" she stammered, trying to make her voice firm as she stood before the intimidating man, pointing an accusing finger at the twins. "They can't do that! It's not allowed!"

"Huh?" Elliot looked up cluelessly, turning his attention to the twins. A look of anger spread across his face as he ran towards the two, shouting, "You brats! Knock it off! Are you trying to get us kicked out? !"

Elliot grabbed the two by their colors, full hatred on the children as he held the two up like small children. "You idiots!"

* * *

"So does Julius know about this plan?" Nightmare asked from the doorway to Club Cool, a smirk on his pale face as his silver eye gleamed in amusement; taking in the devious expression of the red-eyed man before him.

"Nope." Ace replied, pearly whites shining from the sunlight pouring in from outside. "This wouldn't work if he knew- I need to hook them up somehow."

Nightmare laughed. "Your ideas are very entertaining… but I think you've read too many shojo romances. This might not work so easily."

"Shh!" Ace hushed the mind-reader, watching cautiously as Alice stepped away from Peter for a brief moment to show Julius a glass cup, much to Peter's disappointment. "And… go!"

Running as fast as the could, the brunette rushed towards his sister- one arm extended to shove the girl violently to the side. "Oops!" he cried in exaggeration, grinning as his blue-eyed sibling stumbled forth into Julius.

"Gah! Ace!" Alice cried angrily, collapsing into Julius's confused arms. The navy-haired man blushed, glaring heatedly at his friend. Ace smirked, winking at the elder male.

"Idiot Knight!" Julius shouted, crimson sprayed across his face as the red-eyed man darted towards the exit smugly, ignoring his friend.

"Um, a little help?" Alice asked weakly, her own cheeks painted in pink as she strayed her eyes to Julius's; her body at an awkward position in front of him. She was bent over- her arms caught around his, and if she made a sudden movement, she would fall flat on her face.

"Hmm? Oh!" Julius's face grew another shade darker as he realized he was still holding Alice up. "I'm sorry." His eyebrows pushed together uncertainly, unsure on how to get her upright. He took a step backwards, but that only caused Alice to fall forward- her face a few feet from the ground before Julius caught her- one hand under her arm while the other accidentally groped her chest. A small squeak let out of Alice's throat as the friends' faces grew darker even.

"What are you doing? !" Peter cried in outrage, glaring heartlessly at the innocent clockmaker as he quickly darted to Alice's side- pulling the girl upright and into a tight embrace while he glared at Julius coldly. "That is sexual harassment!"

"I-I didn't mean to do that!" Julius defended himself- face burning in embarrassment and anger as he glared straight back at the snow-haired man. "Isn't _that _sexual harassment as well?" He pointed at Peter accusingly, using the man's hold on the girl as an example. Peter wrinkled his nose in annoyance.

"Of course not! I'm protecting my turtle dove from your attacks! First you sleep in bed with her, and now this?" Peter seethed, holding the brunette tighter against his chest, enjoying the feel of the teen against him. Alice blinked in confusion, her cheeks stained in pink as she gently pushed against the man- smiling up at him.

"It's fine, really, Peter. I'm really grateful that you're willing to protect me, but it was an accident." the explained, azure eyes staring up kindly at the twenty-year-old, placing an assuring hand on the man's cheek. It burned in a rosy shade beneath her touch, sending electric shocks throughout his albino frame. "Julius isn't like that- I promise. You have nothing to worry about."

"B-But Alice!" Peter cried, almost desperate as he took her hands in his; red eyes wide and saddened in her defense for her friend. "First he slept in a bed with you, and then he groped you! He's going to do horrible things to you- possibly rape! I can't let him hurt you!"

Alice stared up at the boy, frowning. It was indeed very sweet how he wanted to protect her, but why did he want to do it? Why was he so persistent on her safety? It just didn't make sense. Wasn't that what boyfriends were for?

Boyriend. Alice blushed at the word, quickly shaking it off. No, it couldn't just be boyfriends. Julius was just as protective, and Ace could be… if you really pushed him to it. Boris was pretty protective, too- not as much, but definitely looking out for his cousin. Maybe it was a friend thing?

Peter waited eagerly for her response, and the brunette smiled, messing his white locks playfully before taking another step away, tilting her head to the side. "It's fine, really. He won't hurt me, I promise."

"But…" Peter started weakly, but gave up in an instant. It was just no use; he didn't want to upset her, and he had a feeling he wouldn't win either way. Her relationship with the navy-haired man was too strong for him to fight about. After all, he was but a newcomer in her life, while she knew Julius since probably birth. He had to prove he could be more trustworthy- more desirable for the girl.

"It's fine." Alice repeated for the final time, smiling kindly at the man. She turned back towards Julius, only to frown when she noticed the navy-haired man was missing. Where'd he go? "Julius?"

The navy-haired man had in fact already walked away from the two- the hatred towards Peter only burned inside of him to a point where he could barely face them. He shouldn't be this jealous- no, it was very unusual- but what was he to do? Just stand and watch? Ridiculous.

Ace whistled from the doorway, grinning smugly as Julius neared him- refusing to look at his so called "friend" in the eye.

"Wow… Guess that didn't work out so well." Ace replied, scratching the back of his head casually, as if he weren't the least bit guilty. Julius wanted to rip that smile off of his face. "Don't worry, Plan C is sure to work."

"Plan C my ass. I quit." Julius replied bitterly, violently punching his friend in the gut. He missed, of course, and Ace smirked from in front of the man.

"Didn't get me that time." the brunette teased with a wink. Julius rose an eyebrow, kicking him in the crotch. Ace's face twisted into pain, quickly bending over as if he could mend his "wound".

Julius stared heartlessly at his friend through cold, navy eyes. "Looks like I did now."

Ace sighed, recovery from his injury and quickly bolting to his feet- arms spread behind his head as if he hadn't just been kicked in the balls. "Fine. We'll just have to take it up a notch."

"What do you mean by that?" Julius demanded cautiously, not enjoying the devious grin that spread across his friends face. A glint sparkled in his crimson eyes, and Julius felt as though he were staring at the devil himself.

"Operation 'Kiss the Girl' is underway, my friend!" Ace declared, pointing at Julius determinedly. Julius took an awkward step backwards, his fears and suspicions coming true with Ace's words. "We start at dawn!"

* * *

…**Oh God, I think I just turned Ace into Julius's personal cupid. What have I done. XD This can't end well… **

**Don't worry, EPCOT troubles aren't over yet- I still have a scene with Blood I need to get in. O_o *dramatic soap opera music, please***

**This chapter may seem like a filler, but it's not! It leads onto other stuff. D8 It is PLOT ESSENTIAL! *excuses excuses***

**I know the title's kind of easy, but hell, it fit! ._. **

**You all got this answer… again. -_-'' *tosses out Gray plushies* Next shall be Dee plushies! 8D …His man AND child forms. ;D**

**Previous Answer: Finding Nemo**

**I really should be working on the next chapter to The Game of Heartache… *procrastinating* I'll get to it eventually! D8**


	11. He's a Tramp

**11. He's a Tramp**

"Hey, Alice! Move a little closer to the geek." Boris said, frowning at his digital camera as he waved his cousin closer to the white-haired man. The brunette glared a little but nodded, mimicking the pose the blonde-wigged Alice made on the other side.

They all stood in the United Kingdom showcase in World Showcase; Blood and Elliot holding several large bags of tea as they waited patiently for the small group to take their pictures and get a move on. Julius sat off to the side, trying to ignore the plans Ace and Nightmare were suggesting to him, while Gray just shook his head at the three. Pierce, Peter, Dee, Dum, and Alice were all taking a picture with the costumed woman, while Boris worked the camera and Vivaldi shopped in a store nearby.

"Did you take the picture yet?" Dee and Dum demanded impatiently from in front of either side of both Alice's; fake smiles planted on their faces incase Boris didn't take it yet. Peter stood in between the women, feeling as though he were on cloud nine when Alice latched onto his arm for the photo- completely ignoring his brother and the Wonderland-based character at his other side.

"One minute…" the pink-haired teen said, pressing down on the button. The red light on the front blinked for a minute, but when Boris pulled the camera away, the group loosened up and said their goodbyes to the meet-and-greet character before heading on their way.

"Off to France then, my lady?" Blood questioned, holding out his elbow to Alice as he neared him. The brunette rose an eyebrow. "It'd be a pleasure to lead you there."

"Oh, don't listen to him!" Vivaldi cried angrily from behind, violently tugging the girl away from her brother. "He's nothing but a tramp!"

"Coming from the feminist." Blood replied curtly, and Vivaldi glared at the raven-haired man. He turned back to Alice, slyly pulling her under his arm. "Shall we go, Alice?"

"Um…" Alice felt uncomfortable near the man; intimidated by his touch and gaze. Something about him screamed "RUN!". Before she had a chance to refuse him- or attempt to- Peter pulled her out of the way.

"Alice would never let _you _escort her!" the snow-haired man hissed, hooking arms with the maiden. "She's going to let me! Isn't that right, Alice?"

"U-Um, I really don't need escorted." the brunette answered honestly, removing his arm from around hers. Peter's face fell; crimson eyes wide with sadness. Alice felt a pang of guilt at his miserably, puppy-like expression. He resembled a saddened, desperate child. The brunette sighed, averting her eyes from the sight so she wouldn't become sucked in.

"Come on, let's go." she said in defeat, holding out her hand to the snow-haired man. Peter analyzed the hand quickly; his expression lighting up with sheer joy as he placed his palm in hers, quickly escorting her to the bridge over to "France". Julius glared bitterly at the two from behind, and Nightmare winced at the hate filled thoughts that prodded his mind from the navy-haired clockmaker.

* * *

"Blood…" Elliot eyed his cousin suspiciously as they trailed slowly behind the others, not enjoying the selfish smirk spread across the Mafioso's face. "What are you up to…?"

"You know, I think it's time I get to know the young miss better." the raven-haired man noted, more to himself than the relative to his side. Elliot's eyes widened.

"Blood… You're not going to… Well, she's not going to end up like the other women, is she?" Elliot asked cautiously, raising a worried orange eyebrow at the male. "Besides, Peter's pretty hooked on her, and she seems on good terms with him- for whatever psycho reason she has."

"The rabbit won't be a problem." Blood replied confidently, waving his hand in the air as if to wave off the mere thought. "He'll make everything all the more interesting, if anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elliot asked seriously, not enjoying this. He didn't particularly mind or even care what happened between his boss and his prostitutes, but this Alice girl seemed rather nice from what he understood. She got the bloody brats to behave a little at least, and even more surprising, she had Peter _smiling! _He'd feel guilty seeing anything happen to the miracle worker.

"She's something I don't have, Elliot." Blood explained, sharing a brief glance with his subordinate before returning his attention to the loud, splashing fountain ahead that somehow went almost silent against the bustling crowd and French tunes that echoed about the showcase. "And I always get what I want. _Always._"

Elliot didn't respond to this. He merely watched his cousin with a concerned gaze, a strangely familiar aura running off of the tea-loving man. Elliot didn't like it; not one bit. Not that he'd object, of course. Blood was more than just his cousin- he was his boss in the mafia business. The Mafioso didn't care if he was related to you or not- if you pissed him off, he'd shoot. Elliot preferred his head on his body, mind you.

* * *

"I don't think we'll be able to get real fish for that… We could always dress Nightmare up as Flounder, but where would we find a costume? I'd be Sebastian of course. We'd make my dad Scuttle, but since he's not here, we'll have to settle without one. Hmm… Hey Julius, do you feel better as Ariel or Eric?" Ace pondered, tapping his chin thoughtfully as he followed the navy-haired man into the French gift shop- Nightmare and Gray at his side. When the clockmaker didn't answer, Ace rose an eyebrow, waving a hand in front of his friend. "Yoohoo! Hey, Julius! Pay attention, buddy!"

"Shut up, Ace." Julius seethed, roughly shoving the man's arm away. Ace smirked smugly.

"Touchy, touchy." the brunette teased, poking the man's cheek. Julius growled. Ace laughed, shrugging him off. "You want Alice, don't you?" Julius looked away from his friend moodily, and Ace took that as a yes- and an invitation to sling his arm over the clockmaker's shoulders. "Well then we need a game plan! I'm thinking we start with some roses- maybe white ones? Does she like roses?"

"She's _your _sister, you should know." Gray said, raising an annoyed eyebrow at the man. How he'd been tricked into going allowing with these three was beyond him.

Ace shrugged. "I pay attention to _babes_, not her." he replied before turning back to the navy-haired man. "What do you think, Julius? White roses? I could probably steal them from somewhere…"

"Red roses." Julius interrupted lowly, hardly paying attention. Ace grinned widely, glad his friend started to cooperate.

"Great! We'll start with stage one in the morning. I call it, 'Briar Rose!' Watcha think?" Ace asked excitedly. When he didn't get an answer, the brunette blinked in confusion; surprised to find that Julius was on the other side of the shop. "Hey, Juliet, wait up!"

"Shut _up._" Julius hissed, punching the crimson-eyed man roughly in the arm. Ace winced, but shrugged it off.

"Hey, watcha looking at?" he asked curiously peering over the man's shoulder. He smirked when he saw Julius glaring almost enviously at Peter and Alice by the fountain. Peter seemed to be talking excitedly about something, and Alice giggled once in a while, shrugging her usual shrug. Ace snickered at the sight, patting Julius on the back. "Jealous?"

"No." Julius's tone was low and blunt, but Ace knew he was lying. So did Nightmare.

"That's not what you're _thinking_." the mind reader said slyly; chuckling darkly as he leaned against the doorway to the sunlight-paved ground outside, smirking at Julius cockily.

"Don't you have something to whine about, you green caterpillar?" Julius replied flatly, briefly glaring at the silver-haired wimp before returning his attention to Alice. "Go bother the lizard."

"You're mean!" Nightmare cried, half-offended. Not that Julius gave a rat's ass.

"You're annoying." the clockmaker replied, rubbing his temples as if it could ward off the mind reader. Nightmare stuck his tongue out childishly, looking away like a sulking child.

"Staring at them isn't going to get you what you want." Ace said, eyeing the couple as Peter nodded eagerly from the fountain, finally getting up from his seat and heading towards a nearby stand for some pop. "Now's your chance. Go!" Roughly, the brunette shoved Julius into the sunlight, allowing the clockmaker to stumble in the light. He shot his friend a glare, but quickly turned his attention to a now-alone Alice. He stepped forward, prepared to take his spot by the female…

When a bloody Hatter took his place.

Julius stared numbly at the two, feeling uncomfortable just standing there. Looking closer at the raven-haired man, Julius wrinkled his nose in disgust, glaring. He knew who this man reminded him of- Alice's ex-boyfriend. Sure, he was older and had _kids_, but there was no denying the similarity between the men. He was sure it wasn't _him_, though- _he _had a scar across his cheek from an "accident" in the locker room when Julius was still attending high school… Not that Alice needed to know about the man's involvement in that "accident", right?

Julius frowned at the couple, his eyebrows pushing into a v-shape. It was bad enough he had to worry about Peter getting in his way… Now _this _guy? The clockmaker huffed noisily, leaning against the side of the gift shop uncomfortably, waiting for another chance to steal Alice away.

* * *

Elliot watched from afar as Blood seated himself next to Alice; the Mafioso smirking as the girl shifted her weight to add a little distance between them. Elliot didn't like what was happening, but what could he do about it? Blood was in charge; he had no right to speak up.

Blood grinned down at the brunette, leaning lazily back on the fountain wall. "Well, hello there, young miss."

"Hi." Alice replied, her tone uncertain as she glanced up at the man. His gaze had her feeling troublesome. The brunette played the tips of her hair uncertainly, hoping it would distract her. "You're… Blood, right?"

The man nodded an affirmative. "Blood Dupre, at your service."

Alice nodded, hardly paying attention. She was wishing Peter would hurry up with those Cokes about now. "I'm Alice. Alice Liddell."

"So I've been told. So, tell me, Alice." Blood leaned forward then, picking up a stand of her hair between his fingers. Alice flinched at his touch, scooting a little away. Blood smirked, brushing his lips against her hair. "How old are you?"

"S-Sixteen." the brunette stammered, quickly pulling her hair from his grasp and scooting farther away. Blood merely moved closer, much to her discomfort.

The raven-haired man nodded smugly, frowning just the slightest. Damn. He was too old for her. Not that it would stop him in the slightest, but it might cause problems if many were to find out both of their ages. Composing himself, the man grinned, brushing his fingertips across her cheek. "What a coincidence. I was sixteen once, too."

Alice glared, shoving his hand away. He was making her feel awfully uncomfortable. Standing up, she huffed, crossing her arms firmly in front of her chest and averting her eyes so she didn't have to look at him. "Look, I don't appreciate you hitting on me. If you're old enough to have kids, you're too old for me."

"But they're only adopted." Blood tried to wave it off, but Alice shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not into you like that." she replied, trying to be her politest but also firm. She didn't want to cause a scene.

Blood's face dropped into a glare, and he stood up swiftly; in front of the girl in a flash of black and white. She hardly saw him make his way in front of her. Gripping her wrists gently but firm, he murmured, "Now, now. I don't ever recall saying I was hitting on you. You shouldn't think of yourself so highly."

Alice struggled uncomfortably in his grasp, and that was Ace's cue to step in.

"Haha, hey, Hat man!" the brunette said with his usual out of place laughter, waving at the man as he walked- more like skipped- to the couple. Alice sighed in relief, glad that her brother could actually be useful once in a while. "What's with the harassment on my sister? She doesn't look too happy."

"I'm not harassing her." Blood replied suavely, releasing Alice's now red-rimmed wrists. This did not go unnoticed to the brunette. "We were having a discussion."

"Pretty heated discussion you have there." Ace said, and neither could tell if he was being truthful or sarcastic. "Be careful about seducing my sister, alright? She's fragile." Ace smirked at this, placing his hands on the female's shoulders.

"Oh, aren't you just a knight in shining armor." Alice deadpanned, and Ace laughed loudly, earning a few confused stares.

"Well, I suppose we'll be taking off now. Elliot and I have reservations to make." the hatter said, waving the brunette off as he nodded for Elliot to follow- far, far from these two. Ace smirked in satisfaction, slinging an arm over his sister's shoulders.

"Thanks, Ace." Alice finally said when the men were out of sight, sighing in relief. Ace grinned, patting her on the back.

"No problem. You have to return the favor, though." he replied easily, poking her cheek. Alice glared, gritting her teeth.

"Why am I _not _surprised?" she demanded with a huff, placing her hips agitatedly on her hips. It was then Peter and Julius decided to interrupt.

"Alice! What happened to your wrists? !" Peter cried, dropping the Cokes on the ground to hold on the girl's hands; examining the red stain around it. Alice blinked in confusion.

"Oh, um, it's nothing-" she tried to lie, but Julius appeared on her other side.

"Alice! Are you okay?" he demanded, picking up her other wrist; mimicking Peter. Alice glanced between the two in confusion. "That damned b******."

"I'll shoot him in the head when I see him!" Peter declared.

"His ass is mine." Julius growled. Alice sighed, shaking her head at the two.

"Guys. _Guys._ Relax. I'm fine. It's over with, so let's move on." she insisted, breaking from their hold to look around in confusion at the showcase. "Hey… has anyone seen Boris?"

* * *

Meanwhile in World Showcase, a wild goose chase was going on.

"Hey! Have you seen the rat?" Boris demanded, finally meeting back up with Dee and Dum in the Morocco Pavilion. His topaz eyes shifted from left to right, prepared to spring on the redheaded kid at any moment. The twins shook their heads sadly.

"We went all over Mexico-" Dee explained.

"-and all the way back to Canada. We can't find him!" Dum finished angrily. Boris sighed.

"Okay, well keep your cellphones on in case we find him. He has to be around here somewhere…" Golden eyes glanced around the pavilion, but he sighed, dismissing the twins in the opposite direction to which they were headed.

All the while, Pierce sighed deeply in relief; silently thanking God as he crawled out from behind one of the walls in the pavilion. His poor frame shook in great fear, and pearly whites clattered against each other. He knew he wouldn't be able to get a wink of sleep tonight.

**

* * *

Yay! I finally finished this chapter! 8D Cheers~! I'm going to try to work on more Peter x Alice moments, but there's also gonna be some Julius x Alice mixed in there; mainly due to Ace. XD I think I made Blood OOC, but I really don't care. I'm tired now. ;~; Off to bed~!**

***pause* Hmm? What's that? The winners? Winners for what…? OH! THE WINNERS! *smacks head against desk repeatedly* You'll have to excuse me, sleep deprivation gets to you. T_T**

**Everyone wins- AGAIN. DX *tosses Dee plushies* OH YEAH? SEE IF YOU CAN GET THIS! XD**

**Previous Answer: Mulan [Again]**

**Winners for this get Dum plushies- child AND adult forms. Oh yeah. And please, no cheating- it takes away from the fun in the game. ;~; Good luck~!**


	12. I've Got no Strings

**11. I've Got No Strings**

"Hey, Alice! Hurry up!" Boris called, waving his cousin further back towards the Japanese pavilion in World Showcase; a wide, toothy grin spread across his face beneath the black triangle he had tattooed underneath a gleaming topaz eyes. Alice panted from beside Julius, hardly able to catch her breath. How her cousin could run so fast was beyond her.

"I'm trying!" she called, exhausted as she swung her head back towards Ace. The brunette had himself preoccupied with two rather attractive Asian women from the gift shop; that wide, suave smile spread across his lips as he ran a hand through his russet locks. Crimson eyes stared playfully into the giggling women, and Alice wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight. He was such a player! "Ace, get your sorry butt over here! We need to see the fireworks!"

Ace threw his head back towards his sister, shrugging carelessly once before returning his attention to the women- blowing his sister off completely. Alice gritted her teeth angrily, taking a step forward to grab at him. Julius held an arm out in front of the girl, though, sighing.

"I'll take care of him. You go catch up with Boris and the twins." the blunette said, glaring once at the brats Blood had simply "forgotten" about and left their group to take care of. Alice sighed, smiling up at him weakly.

"Thanks, Julius." she said before turning back towards her cousin and his newfound friends, racing to the trio. She huffed noisily when she caught up; collapsing against the painted gate that displayed the large black lake beyond it.

Nighttime had fallen over the Florida state, and a large, pale moon shimmered against the dark lake. Its blackness appeared frightening; as if it would swallow everything up. Lampposts layered the grounds around them with golden light, and spotlights shined on the buildings beautifully. It was a sight not even cameras in the highest of prices could dare capture.

Alice sucked in a deep breath, allowing her breathing to grow back to normal while her heartbeat slowed to its normal pace, finally admiring the scene before her. A gentle smile drew itself upon her lips, and the brunette sighed dreamily; resting her head sideways in the palm of her hand. "Isn't it so beautiful here?"

"Hmm?" Boris gazed curiously at his cousin before glancing around, shrugging at the lights. "Sure, I guess. I've seen Uncle Gowland go all out on his place, though, so it doesn't seem that bright to me."

"Well _we_ like it!" Dee and Dum exclaimed, startling their female babysitter by latching onto her arms.

"Anything big sister likes, we like!" Dee exclaimed with a determined nod, swinging on the brunette's arm.

"Yeah! Aint that right, big sister?" Dum looked up happy at Alice, and the girl blushed, stumbling a little backwards.

"Um, right?" she answered, her tone unsure. The twins accepted it either way; wide, toothy grins displayed for the girl.

"Tch. You guys only like her because she bought you candy in Canada to shut you guys up." Boris replied bluntly, recalling the earlier fiasco in the store. The twins stuck their tongues out at the pink-haired male, hugging themselves closer to Alice.

"Nuh-uh! We like big sister because she's pretty!" Dee objected angrily, blue orbs glaring childishly into a set of amber. Dum mimicked his brother.

"Yeah! Big sister is nice and pretty!" the red-eyed twin agreed. Boris rolled his visible eye. Alice blushed lightly, chuckling.

"Thanks, I guess." she replied, patting their black- almost blue- locks so they could release her. The twins let go obediently, still smiling up at the girl.

"So when is the asshat coming to pick up his kids?" Julius asked in irritation from Alice's side, having caught up with the girl. Dee and Dum wrinkled their noses at the clockmaker, but they went ignored to the man. Alice sighed, leaning against the metal gate that surrounded the lake.

"I'm not sure. Whenever they get done eating, I guess." she replied, recalling how the hatter practically dragged Peter away so they could eat. Of course, the poor twins had been forgotten during their adventures with Boris, and were forced to join the Liddells.

"Haha! Is Alice looking forward to seeing Mr. Peter again?" Ace teased, poking the girl's cheek. Alice blinked in irritation, blushing a little as she stepped away from her brother.

"N-no! Well, yes, but- but not like that! I just- he-…Shut up, Ace." Alice growled, unable to phase a complete statement. She averted her eyes from his crimson pair, quickly staring off towards the lake as if it held any interest.

"Haha! You're blushing!" the knight taunted, pointing accusingly at the red stain on the girl's cheeks. It darkened from his words and Alice smacked him roughly on the shoulder; turning away in a pout.

"I don't like him that like that." Alice hissed, refusing to meet his eyes. "We're _friends._ Guys and girls can be just friends- there doesn't always have to be something romantic about it."

"Hmph. I wonder about that." Ace replied, slyly smirking up at Julius. The clockmaker glared. Alice glanced between the two in confusion, but let it go.

"Alice!" a new voice earned the teen's attention, and Julius muttered a profanity under his breath as Peter came into view from the American Adventure Pavilion; a wide grin spread across the albino's face when he spotted the group.

"Dork alert, dork alert." Boris muttered, and Alice roughly elbowed him in annoyance. The pink-haired teen chuckled innocently, earning an exhausted sigh from the brunette.

Behind Peter were the man's relatives, excluding Pierce. Blood rose an eyebrow at the troubling twins, and Dee and Dum hid behind Alice, knowing that they'd earned a scolding. Elliot marched up to the two; blue eyes heartless on the duo.

"You brats! Where have you been all day?" he demanded hastily, yanking them away from the maiden by the collars of their shirts. Dee and Dum struggled in the orange-haired man's grasp, but he refused to let go.

"We weren't doing nothing, stupid bunny!" Dee objected, azure orbs glaring up at the elder male.

"Yeah! Let us go, stupid rabbit!" Dum greed, ruby eyes equally fierce. Elliot narrowed his own pair of blue at the two.

"Please no fighting. I don't really think that's allowed in the parks…" Alice pleaded awkwardly, waving for the trio to stop. Eyes laid themselves on the brunette, and Elliot grumbled a few words under his breath as he set the twins back on their feet. Dee and Dum grinned in satisfaction, but Alice gave them a warning look.

"Alice, how I missed you!" Peter sang, earning the brunette's attention as he hopped in front of her; his grin wide and bright with happiness as he clutched Alice's hands in his.

"But it's only been a few hours…" Alice objected, but her common sense didn't bring down the snow-haired man's mood even the slightest. The brunette chuckled softly in thought, for he resembled Dee and Dum but a moment ago.

"Who looks like a little kid?" A sudden voice interrupted Alice's thoughts from behind, and the female jumped; teal eyes meeting a single silver one.

"Nightmare!" she shrieked, clutching her heart as if it would help slow it down at all. "Don't _do _that! You'll give me a heart attack!"

"Sorry." Nightmare apologized with a dark snicker, but the smirk on his lips spoke otherwise. "I can't help it."

"Why do you keep stalking us?" Peter hissed in thick annoyance, arms supporting Alice from her jump, for she'd stumbled into him. He carefully set Alice back on her feet, but did not remove a casual arm from around her shoulders.

"It's not stalking if I know you." Nightmare deadpanned. "Besides, I'm not here for you. I'm here for Julius." A smile flashed across the one-eyed man as he turned towards the clockmaker. Julius felt a sweat drop form at his temple, and he sighed, looking out onto the lake, as if to ignore Nightmare's existence.

"What do you want, you green caterpillar?" the navy-haired man demanded, in no mood for the mind reader's tricks.

"I'm not going to do anything!" Nightmare defended himself, and Gray scoffed from behind. The man shot him a glare before turning back to Julius; leaning against the gate backwards next to him. Ace smirked, joining in on their conversation. Alice rose an eyebrow at the three, but Peter pulled her away from their attention- leading her several yards away, out of earshot from the others.

"Where are we going?" Alice asked curiously, confused as Peter paused against the gate, turning to smile down at the girl.

_Because I want to be alone with you. I want to hold you close and kiss you underneath the fireworks. I want to see you smile. _Peter thought, but of course he couldn't say such things out loud. What would she think of him? He wanted to confess his love- scream it from the rooftops- but would she accept it? He constantly told himself to have patience in this, but there was only so much he could take. Should he be the first to confess his love, or should she? How did these things work? Every romantic gesture he'd learned were from cheesy romance novels- they were hardly useful in such a situation as this.

Alice still stared up at Peter unsurely, watching a flicker of pain flash across his face, for he'd gone deep in thought. He looked almost… sad. The brunette's eyebrows pushed together in a v-shape as she gently lifted her hand to his face; stroking his cheek once, hoping to get him out of this daze. "Peter?"

"Hmm? Oh." Peter snapped back to reality; a bright, false smile spreading across his face as his crimson orbs connected with a pair of teal. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

Alice tilted her head to the side curiously. "About what? If you don't mind me asking…"

Peter blinked unsurely, his expression going blank under her gaze. Should he tell her…? Smiling that cheery, faux smile of his, the elder man replied, "Nothing important. Aren't the fireworks starting soon?" Peter was quick to change the subject- his gaze moving over towards the lake where sure enough, a large black cage-like ball sat, awaiting for the fireworks to begin. Alice still stared up at him in concern.

"Um, yeah. Maybe we should get back to the others." the brunette suggested, glancing over at the still huddled Julius, Ace, Nightmare, and Gray, along with Peter's family either bickering or watching the fights in boredom. Alice turned to leave for the groups, but Peter caught her by the hand, tugging her gently towards him. Sea-green eyes met with a dark shade of red, a frown displayed on the man's albino face.

"No, we shouldn't." Peter caught himself, quickly adding, "I mean, they're all fighting are rather noisily. If they got in trouble we wouldn't want to be blamed, would we?"

"I guess not…" Alice replied uncertainly, frowning almost longingly at the group. Peter tugged at her wrist again, and the brunette turned towards the man, smiling a soft, unsure smile. Peter frowned briefly, but grinned widely as well, pulling Alice under his arm as an announcement rang over the speakers, announcing the upcoming fireworks show.

* * *

"Alright. That's the plan, got it?" Ace said, as if he were guiding a football team in the small huddle he'd joined between Nightmare, Gray, and Julius. Julius rolled his eyes at the brunette, shaking his head.

"That's never going to work. It'll take too long." Julius said impatiently, glaring at Ace. Nightmare smirked.

"Contrariwise, I think it's brilliant." the silver-haired man interjected confidently. Gray rolled his topaz eyes, and Ace nodded to Nightmare happily. Julius huffed.

"Besides, you already waited twenty-some years to ask her out. What's another week?" Ace challenged. Julius averted his gaze, and Ace took that as a sign of approval. Grinning his widest, the knight concluded, "'Operation Kiss the Girl' starts tomorrow morning. We start with step one- 'Briar Rose'."

"Fine." Julius grumbled, feeling a poke on his back. Assuming it was one of the twins, he ignored it.

Ace felt a similar tug, but also ignored it, for he was too busy going into detail of his plan. These pokes and tugs resumed for a while until it came to Gray, who looked down at Boris curiously.

"Hey, have you seen Alice anywhere?" The pink-haired teen asked in confusion, one golden eye searching about. The group looked around in equal confusion, unsure of where their precious Alice had gone.

* * *

The fireworks were a spectacular display. Music soared gloriously throughout the park, and lights flashed in brilliant colors across the sky; almost like a million colorful falling stars. Alice had never seen something so beautiful in all her life.

Neither had Pierce.

The poor redheaded teen remained in his hiding spot in Morocco, smiling up excitedly at the fireworks that had begun. They dared him to step from his hiding spot and move forward; towards the gate surrounding the lake. He walked without a care to the people around him; far too mesmerized by these lights to care.

Soon enough he was resting by the gate; smiling dreamily up at the sky. Alice and Peter noticed his presence- much to the man's irritation- and glanced at him curiously.

"Pierce?" Alice asked in confusion. The redhead jumped at the name; emerald eyes wide with fear as he glanced about, afraid that the worst had come.

"Please don't eat me, chu!" the fifteen-year-old cried; arms wailing over his head as he slumped onto the ground, terrified. Alice gently stepped out from under Peter's arm and knelt down to the boy, patting him comfortingly on the cheek.

"Pierce. Pierce! Don't worry, it's just us." the brunette assured him with a gentle smile, hoping he'd stop his wails and crying. Pierce blinked his tearful eye open; his lower lip jutting out just a little as he lifted his head towards the maiden.

"Alice-chan! Chu!" he cried, startling the girl by wrapping her in a tight hug around the waist. Alice blushed a little, feeling awkward. Peter gritted his teeth from above, his hands gripping the metal gate roughly, trying to keep his temper. Alice was fond of his half-brother, he had to remember, so it wouldn't very much please her if he murdered the rat on the pavement right now, would it?

"Um, It's okay. You can let go now." the brunette said awkwardly, trying to pry his arms away. Pierce didn't release her, though, and Peter chose this chance to step in.

"Rat." the snow-haired man hissed, kneeling down so he was close to the boy's face. "She said let go."

Pierce quickly obeyed, but instead wrapped his arms around Peter, pulling him into a hug. "Peta-chan, chu!"

Peter ground his teeth angrily, trying to pull the kid off. "Let go of me! I didn't ask for a hug!"

"Pierce sweetie, let go." Alice said softly, and the redhead obeyed. Peter sighed in relief, but his eye twitched at the nickname Alice had chosen to give his younger brother.

Pierce stared up at the two; his green eye widening at the sight. Peter and Alice exchanged confused glances, unsure of what was going on in the kid's mind.

"Are you two on a date?"

The couple froze, lines of pink and red splashing across their cheeks. They exchanged a nervous glance, and Peter was tempted to say "yes". Alice spoke for them, though.

"N-no! Of course not!" the brunette objected, rapidly waving her hands in front of her in denial. "We were just watching the fireworks is all!"

"Then why are you blushing?" Pierce asked in innocent curiosity, pointing to her cheeks. Alice's blush deepened and she shook her head.

"I'm not blushing!" she cried angrily, quickly standing up. She glanced uneasily at her watch and took off, calling over her shoulder, "I have to go now! Sorry! See you later, Peter!"

Peter and Piece sat in silence as Alice bounded off. When she was lost in the crowd, Peter turned towards Pierce, a glare easy to detect in hit heated crimson orbs. He muttered, "I hate you."

* * *

Unlike most of their day together, Peter and Alice didn't go back to the hotel together. Rather, Blood forced his relatives to the hotel room early, leaving Peter's beloved Alice behind. That damned asshat.

Now on their floor, Peter stamped in irritation to his bedroom, much resembling a sulking child that hadn't gotten the new toy they wanted.

"Peter." This single word caused the snow-haired man to raise an eyebrow, turning to his raven-haired cousin. Blood smirked, stepping up to his cousin.

"What?" the crimson-eyed man muttered, his stare deadly. He still hadn't forgiven the Mafioso for his earlier assault on his beloved Alice.

"Have you already forgotten our deal? You said you'd do whatever I want." Blood reminded him, smirking deviously as he leaned against the hallway wall. Peter glared.

"Fine. What do you want?" the teen muttered, his voice low and annoyed. Blood's smirk intensified.

"You're going to have some new roommates. Dee, Dum!" Peter paled as Blood waved his twins over, the trio smirking as Peter grimaced at the kids. "You're staying in Peter's room for the rest of the stay."

"What? No fair! We don't want to stay with the stupid rabbits!" they cried in unison, frowning up at the ravenette. "Dad!"

"Have fun." Blood replied, ignoring the twins as he turned around, waving them off so he could enter his room. Peter glared at his cousin's door, hardly paying attention to the argument that erupted inside his own room when Elliot saw the twins coming in.

"Thanks a lot, b******." Peter muttered before following the two demon children inside. This was going to be a _long_ night.

* * *

Blood sighed contently when he locked the hotel room door behind him, pleased that he finally had a room to himself for the time being. He really wasn't one to share a bed with anyone or anything- except, perhaps, a few fair maidens that found themselves under his bedroom sheets in the morning- so it was relaxing to have a room to himself.

"Well, about time the f***** got back."

Blood's teeth clamped noisily against each other as he spun around, stepping further into the room where two men came into view; one in a jester's costume and the other in a warden uniform. They were identical- their hair wine red, and a black eye patch covering where their left ruby eyes should be. Even their smirks mimicked each other. They sat on the green couch across from the beds; one leg crossed over the other casually.

"May I inquire as to what you're doing in my bedroom?" the ravenette asked with a deep sigh, passing off his anger as exhaustion while he placed his overly sized top hat onto a nearby desk and nestled his jacket on a chair. "Isn't it against the rules to invade another person's privacy here?"

"Tch. Isn't it against the law to run a mafia?" the prison guard retorted, earning a dull stare from Blood.

Sighing, the Mafioso turned towards the two; arms crossed in front of his chest. "So what do I owe this visit from the Jokers? I don't believe I violated any part of our contract, so there should be no reason for you to be here."

"Actually, we aren't here for you, rather for ourselves." the jester-costumed man explained, gesturing towards himself. "I happened to get a job at Downtown Disney."

"I saw." Blood replied bitterly, glaring slightly at the two. He turned his attention to the prison guard. "Let me guess- he's the security around here?"

"F*** no. They wouldn't even let me apply for the damned job." the darker Joker hissed angrily. "I'm still your parole officer."

Blood nodded, acknowledging this. "Well, as you can see, there's nothing wrong, so if you don't mind, I'm rather tired and need my rest." "Tch. Figures the gay Hatter needs his beauty sleep." Black replied tersely. Blood's cobalt eyes narrowed.

"What do you need?" he demanded, fed up with the games. "I have to get up early in the morning."

"Very well. We're just checking up." the kinder Joker replied, smiling almost pleasantly at the mafia boss. "Are you keeping your men in line?"

"As far as I'm concerned." the ravenette answered curtly, still glaring at the redheads. The jester nodded, more to himself than anyone in particular.

"You better f****** be. One violation and you're all back to the big house." the warden replied, though he didn't seem entirely bothered by this; he was smirking deviously as he spoke.

"We'll do fine. Now, if you would leave…" Blood gestured towards the door, and the circus-themed Joker nodded, standing up. His twin glared up at him, but mimicked his movements either way; a pout spread shamelessly across his face.

"Alright. Just remember, we'll be keeping an eye on you." White reminded him, and Blood glared, watching the two escort themselves from his presence. Blood glared at the now closed door, scoffing before he turned towards his bed.

"You've got no strings on me."

* * *

***pants* Long chapter. Yay. XD Took me a while, but meh, I like how it came out.**

**Just a heads up, the next couple chapters will be based around Julius x Alice, but Peter will come in with some moments of his own later. The reason I'm doing this is because, well, they're all going to be at WDW for three weeks, and obviously Peter and Alice can't hang out every day. Thus, Julius shall have a few moments- courteous to Ace, if you even want to call them moments XD- before Peter jumps back in with some lovely moments of his own. *w* I'm still kind of debating on which couple I want to end this with. XD I know who I originally wanted, but now I'm kind of torn as the story progresses. D8 I'm trying to aim to the original couple, but it might be a little hard… *deep sigh* I'll try! **

**Other news, I'm thinking of writing a HnKnA fic (this won't be for a LONG while…), but based off of Back to the Future. It wouldn't have the BttF characters, but the HnKnA fic would be kinda like it- the concept, that is. My questions to you are: A) Would it be under the crossover section? And B) Would anyone actually read it? XD**

**Let me know, and see you guys later!**

**Hmm? Plushies? OH! SHIZ! ALMOST FORGOT! D8 Sorries- I've been having computer issues lately so that was the last thing on my mind. -_-''**

**Damn it. DX *tosses out Dum plushies to those who answers* You all got it right. ;~;**

**Previous Answer: Lady and the Tramp**

**Winners for this will get... *looks in bag* Elliot plushies! 8D Yay~ (If I used that already, feel free to hit me. -_-'')**


	13. Painting the Roses Red

**13. Painting the Roses Red**

The next morning was a bright and early one, just as the day before. Luckily for Alice, she had reminded Boris and Ace to send in their reports to Gowland the night before so she didn't have to wake up extra early and write them herself.

Ace was relaxing on his bed in bright red swim trunks when Boris, Julius, and Alice came back from breakfast; flipping through channels on the TV. Alice smiled, tossing her brother a juice box.

"Glad to see you're dressed early for _once._" the female said, opening up her drawer in the dresser to get her own clothes. Ace grinned, sticking the straw in his juice to sip at it.

"What can I say? I like water parks." the brunette replied, grinning like the moron he was. Alice smiled briefly at him before frowning at her clothes.

"Hey… Ace, do you know what happened to my one-piece? All I can find is this." Alice blushed a little, holding up a blue bikini with little white designs around the front.

"You're one-piece was getting old so I got you a new swimsuit. Like it?" Ace asked, smiling widely at the skimpy clothes. Alice blushed, glaring coldly at her brother.

"Ace, I just bought that swimsuit this year!" the girl shrieked angrily, slamming a fist on the ground.

"You're too cute for one-pieces, anyways." Ace continued, ignoring his sister. "You should be showing off that body- not covering it up."

"Aren't older brothers supposed to _make _you cover up?" the brunette hissed, scowling at the man. "I think you're the only guy I know that _wants _his sister to dress like a slut!"

"Hey, it's not slutty! There's plenty of girls who wear bikinis." Ace argued, his mind straying to a couple young ladies he'd spotted by the pool last night. Just a few more numbers to add to his collection, that they were. It was such a shame that Alice wanted some sleep- he could've had a nice empty hotel room…

"You're such a pervert." Alice deadpanned, tossing a flip flop at the man before sighing, carrying the bikini to the restroom to change. Julius turned towards his friend, glaring.

"_Why._ Just _why?_" the navy-haired man demanded in a hushed whisper, his cheeks tinted in pink at the mere thought of the girl's bikini. Ace smirked deviously, shrugging.

"Hey, I'm trying to help you score. The least I can do is get you some eye candy." Ace replied innocently, shrugging a careless shrug. Julius groaned, pressing a hand against his forehead.

"You're missing the point." the man mumbled, shaking his head.

"Ace, I'm going to kill you!" Alice shrieked from the restroom, earning three confused gazes of her roommates.

"What did you do?" Julius immediately accused Ace, glaring into the brunette. His friend ignored him.

"What's wrong, 'sis?" Ace called, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"This thing is too small! It doesn't fit me right!" the female complained, and Julius's face deepened in red, trying to drag the mental picture out of his head. Boris noticed the clockmaker's expression and snickered.

"Hold on, you're probably putting it on wrong. I know I got it in your size." Ace called back, lifting himself from the bed and stepping into the bathroom, shutting the door so he could help his sister.

Julius sighed heavily, hiding his face in his hands. Boris sat across from the clockmaker, smirking.

"What do you want?" the elder male demanded, annoyed with the smug gaze the pink-haired teen fed to him.

"Nothing." Boris replied with a shrug, snickering at the man. Julius scowled, but looked away.

"Ace, this is too small!" Alice insisted, her voice echoing outside of the bathroom. Julius and Boris looked at the door, eavesdropping.

"No, it's supposed to go like that." Ace argued playfully, and both men could picture the stupid smile that played on his lips.

"Ace, the bra isn't supposed to be _below my chest, _you idiot!" Alice shouted angrily. Julius averted his eyes from the door nervously, hiding his blush beneath a curtain of navy blue.

"Well it should be! If all girls dressed like that, the world would be a better place." Ace replied confidently. His voice was soon followed by the sound of a slap.

"Ace, just help me get this stupid thing on! For as many girls as you've been with, you should know how to put on a bikini with your eyes closed." Alice deadpanned, and Julius could already see the little wrinkle of disgust on her nose.

"I'm much better at taking them off." her brother replied honestly, and another slap sounded off from the restroom. He sighed. "I'm just joking! …Kind of. Come here, I'll help."

There were some more small arguments that were muffled out from the distance, but finally Ace was violently shoved out of the bathroom, followed by his angered sister.

"You're such a pervert." she hissed, tossing her clothes from earlier at him. Ace laughed, catching the fabric easily and throwing it into her open drawer before kicking it shut. "That's the last time I ask you for help on a swimsuit."

Ace laughed again, plopping back on his bed. He smirked at the bikini his sister fashioned. "If you weren't my sister, I'd so tap that."

Alice turned towards the brunette, glaring. "_Please _tell me you're joking."

Ace laughed again, ignoring her question. Alice shuddered uncomfortably, taking a safe seat by Julius on her own bed- far from her brother. Julius glared at his friend, tossing a pillow at him. Ace stumbled off of the bed from the impact, but kept on laughing. Alice rolled her eyes and Julius shook his head.

"You're messed up, dude." Boris said, grabbing his own black trunks from his drawer before stepping into the restroom to change.

Alice sighed, turning to the desk beside the bed to grab a blue ribbon, tying her hair into a ponytail with it before sitting back next to Julius, leaning against his arm carelessly. She glanced up at the man, surprised to find his cheeks a bright red and his eyes closed.

"You okay, Julius?" she asked, quickly lifting up a hand to his forehead. Julius swatted her hand away, embarrassed.

"I'm fine." he insisted.

"You were warm yesterday, too." Alice noted worriedly, pressing a thoughtful finger against her cheek. "Are you sure you aren't sick? We could stay here. I'm sure Ace and Boris won't mind, right?"

"And miss hot babes half naked? No way." Ace objected, climbing back on top of the bed. Alice glared. Ace smirked at Julius. "Sorry, dude. Hoes before broes."

"It goes the other way around." Julius mumbled but otherwise ignored him.

"Well _I _won't mind." Alice said, wrinkling her nose in annoyance at her brother. She turned to Julius and continued, "Get back in bed, I want you to get better."

"I'm not sick, Alice." Julius replied, sighing once. Alice frowned.

"Then why are you so red?" she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "And don't lie to me- you're a horrible liar."

Julius sighed, looking away stubbornly. He really, _really _didn't want to tell her the truth, but she'd see right through his lies. What to do?

"He's red because he's _shy. _Isn't that right, Julius?" Ace teased, poking his friend on the cheek. Julius's teeth clenched and he swatted his friend's hand away.

"You're shy?" Alice questioned, thinking it over. She glanced between herself and him before giggling into her hand, surprising her friend.

"What's so funny?" Julius asked, confused. Alice laughed a little more, her laughter ringing in his ears.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Alice squealed, giggling a little more. "Julius is shy~. Julius is shy~."

"Cut it out." Julius muttered, his blush deepening as he looked away. He wasn't exactly sure how to feel; humiliated? Not entirely. Nervous? Maybe. Happy? Possibly. He actually felt a little childish as Alice teased at him, now poking his cheek.

"Julius is so shy~." she teased, her fingertips prodding his red-stained skin.

"Knock it off." Julius said, waving her hand away. "It's not funny." Alice giggled nonetheless, and Julius sighed, turning away. Ace rose a mischievously pleased eyebrow at the two, nodding at the scene.

"Ready to go?" Boris interrupted the trio from behind, jabbing a thumb at the door.

"Yup!" Alice called cheerily, jumping off of the bed and slipping on some flip-flops before catching up with her cousin. Ace smirked at Julius as the two trailed behind slowly.

"Shut up." Julius muttered, already knowing what the brunette was going to say. Ace laughed.

"Hey, in case you forgot, 'Operation: Kiss the Girl' starts now. Step one: 'Briar Rose' is in motion." Ace declared, pulling out a bouquet of flowers from literally nowhere. Julius wasn't even sure if he _wanted _to know where they came from. "I wasn't able to find any red roses, so I stole- erm, borrowed- some white ones and painted them red."

"…You painted the roses red." Julius said blankly, staring at the bouquet of roses Ace forced into his hands. The brunette nodded, grinning happily. Julius sighed shaking his head once before catching up with Alice and Boris on the elevator.

* * *

The trip to Blizzard Beach felt like a long one, what with the heavy crowd of exhausted vacationers surrounding them, but when Alice and her friends arrived, each breathed a deep sigh of relief. Julius had Ace stash the roses wherever he dare kept his things until an opportune moment. Ace had explained to Julius that he needed to make his gift to Alice "special", so that meant at a "romantic" time. Lord only knows what Ace had in mind when he suggested that… Julius shuddered at the thought.

"Okay, so what are we going to ride first? Summit Plummit?" Boris suggested, topaz eyes gleaming eagerly into the large, 60-foot-replica of a ski hill. Julius paled at the sight. If amusement parks weren't his things, water parks were even worse.

"No thanks." he deadpanned, navy eyes immediately scanning for a chair to relax in for the day. Maybe Ace would stop teasing him about how pale he was from staying locked up all day in his room if he got some sun…

"Aww, come on, Julius! It'll be fun!" Alice insisted, grabbing the clockmaker's hand in hers; a wide smile spread across her face. Julius frowned, pursing his lips.

"Didn't you just yell at us for being here for work instead of play?" he replied, recalling her argument a few days ago. Alice shrugged, still smiling.

"Yeah… But that doesn't mean we can't have fun, too! As long as we keep track of everything for my dad we'll be fine! Come on, let's go!" the female continued to tug unsuccessfully on his hand. Julius rose an eyebrow, chuckling to himself. She could be so childish at times… yet still become the same woman he loved.

Ace smirked at his friend from the side before his crimson orbs met that of a nearby swimming pool. This did not go unnoticed to Julius, and the navy-haired man glared at his friend. He wouldn't dare…

"You really want Julius to go swimming, Alice?" Ace asked, cupping his hand around his chin. Alice glanced up at her brother and nodded.

"Of course!" she cried as if it were obvious. Ace smirked, leaning forward to whisper some words into his sister's ear. Alice glared when he pulled back, quick to object. "I'm not doing that to him!"

"Heh. Maybe you won't, but I never I said I wouldn't!" Ace cried with a laugh, swiftly grasping his friend's wrist and yanking him towards the pool.

"Ace, stop it!" Julius ordered, trying unsuccessfully to pull from his friend's grasp. It was ridiculous how strong this man was. "Ace, I still have my jacket on! Knock it off!"

Ace merely laughed at his friend's protests, continuing to drag him unwillingly to the pull. With a swift, sudden movement, Ace pulled his friend's jacket off- afraid his cell would get wet and ruin any future plans- and shoved him into the water; grinning as Julius went underneath the liquid surface for a few moments before jumping up for air.

"Julius! Are you okay?" Alice asked worriedly from beside her brother, teal eyes wide with concern. Julius continued his coughing fit, and Alice leaned forward. "Julius?"

Neither expected Ace to push her in, too.

Alice fell head first into the water; brunette locks breaking its surface and diving her inside. Ace laughed even louder as Alice jumped up gasping for air as well, her hands on Julius's arm to keep her steady. After a small coughing fit, they both glared in fury at the male brunette; their teeth grinding.

"You _idiot._" they seethed in unison, finally able to speak.

"You could've drowned him!" Alice cried, gesturing towards Julius.

"You could've killed her!" the navy-haired man argued, waving towards Alice. Ace shrugged.

"Nah, you would've lived." he answered carelessly, slipping into the water himself. Julius narrowed his eyes at the brunette, waving him forward.

"Come here, Ace. There's something I want to give you." he said. Alice stared at him curiously and suspiciously, wondering what was up.

Ace grinned in excitement, quickly striding towards his friend. "Really? What?"

"DIE, YOU DAMNED KNIGHT!" Julius shouted, shoving the brunette's head underwater. Ace struggled a little, but they could hear his faint laughter from underwater. Alice groaned to herself, raising an eyebrow at the two. They were certainly… an interesting pair.

"Haha! Okay, you made your point!" Ace said with a laugh, diving back up for air easily. Julius grumbled a few words under his breath, but otherwise went ignored.

"You two… sure are something." Alice said, smiling weakly at the two, for failure of better use of words came to mind for them.

"Hah! You can count on it." Ace said, slinging an arm around the navy-haired man. Julius rolled his eyes, shoving the male away.

"I'm getting out of the pool- chlorine ruins the skin." Julius said, wrinkling his nose at the water around him before climbing out.

"Alice will come with you!" Ace offered, waving off to Julius as he floated on his back- away from the two. Alice frowned at her brother once before sighing, also climbing out of the pool.

"You don't have to get out, you know." Julius said, glancing at Alice's slightly disappointed expression as he headed towards a chair. The teal-eyed girl glanced up at him with wide orbs, quickly shaking her head.

"No, no, it's okay! I feel bad leaving you by yourself." Alice replied honestly, following him to the chairs.

"I'm not a little kid, you know." the clockmaker reminded her. Alice scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

"I know." she said, frowning at the cement ground for a brief moment before glancing back up at her friend. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"What? No. Come if you want- I don't care." Julius replied quickly, taking a seat. Alice sat next to him, staring up at the bright morning sky. Julius watched her, wondering what was beyond that dreamlike gaze she held.

"Hey, Julius. Do you remember when we were little?" the female asked, surprising her friend with this question. Julius sat up, his eyebrows pushing into a v-shape.

"How little?" he questioned, pulling a stray piece of her hair back into place.

"Really little. When you and Ace first met." Alice replied, still staring blankly at the sky. He couldn't detect any emotions behind her gaze.

"Yeah- most of it, anyways. I blacked out a little after Ace tried to bury me alive." Julius answered grimly, recalling the faint memory.

They'd only been five or six at the time- they met on a playground nearby their houses. Ace was still the outgoing kid as ever and thought Julius was a girl, and since girls were supposedly "disgusting" at that time, he tried to bury the poor clockmaker under the sand in the sand box. It wasn't until little baby Alice waddled up to the two and started digging Julius out subconsciously that he had a chance to explain to the crimson-eyed brat that he'd misunderstood. Julius hardly understood how they ever became friends after that, but he practically owed Alice his life. She never knew that, though.

Alice chuckled, remembering the times Ace would tell her of their meeting. Julius watched her curiously, tilting his head to the side. "Why do you bring that up?"

"Things haven't changed much, have they?" the brunette thought out loud, smiling this time up at the clouds above. Julius only felt more confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked uncertainly.

Alice looked up at him this time, smiling knowingly. "You and Ace still fight like the kids you were when you were little."

Julius stared blankly at the girl, unsure of how to take that exactly. Alice didn't seemed to mind his silence, for she smiled at him once more before turning up at the sky. Julius opened his mouth to speak, but a ringing let off from Alice's tote bag. Curiously, the brunette leaned over and pulled out her cellphone, flipping it open.

"Who is it?" Julius inquired, watching the girl's expression twist from curious to cheerful in a moment.

"Peter. He wanted to know what I was up to." Alice replied, her fingertips brushing quickly across the keys before she hit the sent button, setting her phone back down on the chair.

"He has your number?" Julius's tone was filled with distaste, but Alice ignored it and nodded.

"Yup. I gave it to him yesterday so we could keep in touch." the brunette replied with a large smile. Julius grimaced, muttering a sarcastic "great" before her phone went off again. Alice flipped it open, grinning happily at the response.

"What did he say?" Julius asked, leaning back against the chair.

"He's coming over with Pierce in a little bit." Alice answered happily, smiling at her friend. Julius sighed, looking away grumpily, muttering a few words under his breath.

"Good for you."

**

* * *

TA-DA! 8D New chapter. *sounds trumpets* I wasn't originally gonna have Peter come in for another few chapters, but then I thought, "LE GASP! What if Peter and Pierce vs. Ace and Julius for Alice? ! ;A; IT MUST BE DONE!" So some Peter x Alice x Julius action will be coming in these next few chapters, hurr. XD**

**The next story chapter I work on will either be The Game of Heartache or +Knightmares. I'm almost done with the next chapter to +Knightmares *praying I didn't cross over into the M-zone on this one…*, and I'm about 1 ½ pages done with Heatache, so just about another 2 ½ - 3 or so and I should be good.**

**I really had no idea what to name this chapter, so I went with what you can see above. YOU BETTER ALL GET THIS OR I WILL BE DISAPPOINTED IN YOU. D8**

**Previous answer: Pinocchio [That movie scares me o_o]**

***tosses Elliot plushies to those who won* You lucky ducks, you. DX**

**Next prize will be… *digs in magic bag* WHITE JOKER PLUSHIES! 8D Yay~. Go crazy, you fan girls, you. ;3 **


	14. Dig a Little Deeper

**14. Dig a Little Deeper**

The sound of a water park certainly did not appeal to Mr. Peter White in the slightest. Noisy, slippery brats racing to stain their eyes with chlorine water and overweight adults hogging the sun to have at least a tan to brag about for once when they returned home. When Alice text him her current position, Peter had wrinkled his nose at the thought. Of course, he would endure this chaos and any other for his beloved Alice.

Though, things would be much easier if she expressed her mutual feelings already.

Peter thought grumpily over how horrid his day would be if that wretched Monrey tried to steal the attention of his love as he road to Blizzard Beach next to Pierce; feeling rather cramped with the sweaty park-goers around him. He'd prefer to go alone, but Pierce had decided to take it upon himself to help his brother win over the brunette. Plus, she'd already warmed up to the kid. He was in better standing than he'd thought.

"P-Peta-chan, are we there yet?" the redhead asked for the umpteenth time; tugging on his brother's arm. Peter scowled at the boy, glancing out the window.

"We'll get there when we get there." he seethed, fed up with the teen. Pierce flinched, but returned his attention to a little baby beside him that babbled excitedly over nothing. Pierce smiled pleasantly, pretending to hold a conversation with the child. Peter rolled his crimson orbs in near disgust at the sight, looking away.

"Ooh, ooh! Peta-chan, Peta-chan! We're here!" Pierce exclaimed excitedly, tugging on his brother's arm. Peter shook him off quickly, glaring at the boy.

"I can see that. I don't need to be told twice." the snow-haired man snapped, and Pierce flinched, sheepishly looking away. Sure enough, the bus pulled up to the water park, and both boys raced out as fast as they could past the crowd; Peter's eyes immediately flicking around in search of Alice.

"P-Peta-chan, wait up! I can't keep up!" Pierce cried, trying to race after his brother as they entered the gates, trying to find his way around.

Suddenly, music began to play from his jacket pocket, and Peter pulled out his cellphone; grinning ecstatically at the sight of a text from Alice.

"What does it say?" Pierce asked curiously, already knowing who it was from the look Peter gave.

"It says-" Before Peter could continue, another voice spoke up behind him, causing the man to jump.

"Hey, rat!"

Both boys jumped, quickly whirling around to spot Boris smirking at the two from behind. Peter glared while Pierce shrieked, diving behind his brother for cover.

"You're Alice's cousin, right?" the snow-haired man presumed, and the topaz-eyed male nodded once, waving towards a set of benches to his right.

"My cousin's over there waiting for you. Better watch out, though- looks like she and the clockmaker are getting comfy." Boris purposely taunted, snickering at the angered expression that flashed across Peter's features before turning his attention to Pierce. "Now, rat, let's go play!"

"WAH! DEMON NEKO, DEMON NEKO!" Pierce cried at the top of his lungs, already running away.

"GET BACK HERE, RAT!" Boris threatened, and the duo were gone in a flash of green and pink. Peter stared in annoyance at the two for a brief moment before quickly rushing to Alice's chair, determined to break whatever private moment she and Julius were having.

"Hello, Alice!" he greeted, giving her a large, bright smile. The teal-eyed beauty turned her attention to him and grinned, waving to the seat across from her.

"Hi, Peter." the brunette replied. "Glad to see you're happy today. Did you sleep well?"

Peter shuddered at the thought of sleep and shrugged. "Brats kept me up all night."

"Oh. Well, maybe a dip in the pool will help." Alice suggested pleasantly, smiling kindly. "I'm glad you came."

"I am, too." Peter smiled back at her, his crimson eyes analyzing the bikini she wore. It was almost enough to make him blush, but he worked to the best of his ability to keep a red stain from forming on his face. Julius noticed the man's gaze and quickly put his jacket over Alice's half-naked form.

"Julius, it's too hot for that." Alice complained, trying to push the cotton off. Julius kept it firmly draped over the young lady, though.

"No, no. You looked cold." the navy-haired man argued, and Alice sighed, allowing the clockmaker to wrap it around her exposed form; zipping it up to her neck. Peter shared a challenging glare with Julius.

"If I get heat stroke, I'm blaming you." Alice deadpanned, frowning stubbornly up at her friend before turning to Peter with a sigh. Julius did not reply, and so an awkward silence took place.

"So… Are you having fun?" Peter asked lamely, hoping to strike up a conversation- any type of conversation, really- with the fair-haired girl in front of him. "At the parks, I mean."

Alice blinked, but smiled widely, nodding. "Yeah. They're a lot of fun. It's kind of hard to keep track of it all, though."

"Keep track?" the white-haired man tilted his head to the side curiously, crimson eyes watching the maiden with interest. Alice nodded.

"My dad works in the amusement park industry." she explained, smiling kindly at the man. "He sent us here to take notes on the parks. In all honesty, I think he just didn't want Ace destroying another robotic squirrel." Alice pressed her palm against her face at the thought of this, and Julius rolled his eyes, not the slightest surprised from the news.

"That seems like fun." Peter said happily, half-lying. In all honesty, he hated amusement parks, but if Alice enjoyed them he'd endure their torture. He'd do anything for Alice.

"I guess. Our dad is pretty… outrageous, I guess you could say." Alice laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "He used to be an orchestra conductor… It didn't work out well. He's horribly tone deaf."

Peter nodded solemnly, frowning at her covered wrists from the sweatshirt. Gently pulling her hand in his, he lifted back the fabric, running his fingers over where his cousin had formerly stained in red. "Do your wrists still hurt?"

"N-No, not at all." Alice assured him, blushing a little as she smiled softly at the man, shaking her head. "I actually forgot it even happened until you mentioned it."

Peter was silent, running his fingertips over her wrists again. Alice watched him in equal silence, a strange feeling arising inside of her at the feel of his touch. It caused her cheeks to paint a light pink, and a small flutter to erupt in her stomach. What was this strange feeling?

Feeling annoyed and uncomfortable with the intent stares Alice and Peter shared in a glance, Julius cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "Alice, it looks like Boris wants you."

Alice followed Julius pointing finger to where the pink-haired teen waved her over towards Summit Plummit excitedly, readying to splash in the cool, refreshing water. Alice smiled, taking off the jacket Julius had placed on her and handing it back to the navy-haired man.

"Sorry to run. I'll see you guys after I ride this with Boris, okay?" the brunette assured the duo, quickly running off to meet up with her cousin. When she was gone, Peter sighed sadly before sharing a glare with Julius.

"I know you're stalking her." Julius said, narrowing his eyes at the snow-haired man angrily. Peter rose an eyebrow skeptically.

"Stalking?" he tested the word blandly, hardly in the mood to have a conversation with the clockmaker.

"Watching her. Spying on her. Observing her. You'd really do anything to get her to like you, wouldn't you?" Julius hissed, and Peter glared coldly; crimson orbs annoyed.

"I'm not stalking her. I would never do such a thing to my dear Alice. And yes, I would. I love her, you see." Peter explained as if it were obvious. "I would do anything for my Alice."

"_You're_ Alice? _Love?" _The words tasted like poison on the navy-haired man's tongue. "Tch. She's not yours, and you don't love her. You're obsessed with her. Alice would never be dumb enough to fall for a guy like you."

"A guy like me? And what makes you so much better?" Peter retorted. "At least I'm willing to fight for her. I'll rid of anyone who dares to harm my precious Alice, or get between us. If you felt the same, I would have never come along in the first place, now would I?"

"…Tch." Julius looked away, annoyed. Peter smirked.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to spend some time with my beloved Alice. I'd hate to make her lonely." the snow-haired man said, arising from the plastic chair triumphantly, prepared to go seek out the brunette.

"I'm willing to fight for her as well." Julius said, his words causing Peter to pause and glance at the man; eyes narrowed. "I may not be as obsessed as you are, but I love Alice, and we have history together. We know each other better than anyone else. Remember that. Unlike you, Alice has known me longer. She knows she can trust me. Whose going to win this, really, rabbit?"

"Tch." Peter glared, crossing his arms firmly in front of his chest. "Win? I may not have your history, but at least I'm not a coward. I can and _will _win Alice's heart by the end of this trip."

"You talk like she's just a trophy to show off." Julius hissed.

"I've never felt this way towards anyone else. Alice is much more than a trophy, I can assure you. By the end of this trip, I can promise that she'll share the same love I share for her now." Peter smiled dreamily at the thought, and Julius's eye twitched.

"Is it a bet, then? Who can make Alice fall for them first?" the clockmaker demanded. Peter shrugged carelessly.

"I could care less about what you call it, but Alice _will _be mine." Peter answered determinedly, smiling once at the sky before walking off to find his beloved.

Julius glared in Peter's direction, gritting his teeth angrily together. "Not if she's mine first."

**

* * *

FFF I AM SUCH A FAILURE! DX How could I have not updated this fic in almost a month? A MONTH! I am a disgrace to human nature. |||OTL**

**I'm so sorry for the long wait. This chapter… IT KILLED ME. DX I really don't like this chapter. It's too short. B| It sucks. B| It's a disgrace to human society as we know it. B| Feel free to burn me alive at a stake for this. B|**

…**Please don't burn me alive at a stake. D8 That would be murder, my dear children, and is frowned upon in most societies.**

**Next chapter should be better- we get to see Peter & Pierce vs. Julius & Ace in this fight for Alice. XD WHO WILL WIN? ! Stay tuned. XD I promise it'll be longer. |||OTL I have some classic Disney love moments I'd like to use for the next chapter. Not saying I will, but I'd like to.**

**DAMN IT! DX *tosses White Joker plushies… but keeps one for myself XD***

**Previous Answer: Alice in Wonderland**

**I am such a dumbass that I don't even remember all the characters we used. B| Thus, you will get PLUSH. CLOCKS.**

**Yes. CLOCKS. B| Interpret that any way you want. *is shot***


	15. Bella Notte

**15. Bella Notte**

Alice was clueless, oblivious, and stupid. Her best friend and a man she had just met both loved her, and expressed their love so easily, it was almost like neon signs across their foreheads screaming, "BE MINE!", and yet she didn't even consider it at all. She hadn't noticed their affections, their admiration; everything in their power to love her.

But they still found themselves drawn to her inescapably and undeniably. Weaved in her webs; caught by her innocent, accidental trap.

And they would make her see just how much they'd do for her.

* * *

"I-I-I'm f-freezing!" Alice spat through her clattering teeth; arms wrapped tightly around her torso and legs shaking violently. The bus to the Boardwalk hotel was a cold one, no doubt. Of course, they would have never had this problem if a certain direction challenged man hadn't _chosen the wrong bus line in the first place._

"Haha! It's not that bad!" Ace assured with a carefree laugh, but his surrounding group glared.

"It's too air conditioned. We're soaking wet." Julius deadpanned, his eyes narrowing as a few water droplets fell from his bangs.

"Are you really that much of an _idiot_? The hotels don't even have the same first letter!" Peter agreed for once, once more cleansing his foggy glasses.

"Haha! So mean!" Ace laughed, almost as if the white-haired man had spoken a funny joke. Peter glared, gritting his teeth.

Pierce shivered along next to Alice; both of them leaning on each other for warmth. Noticing this, Peter's eyes narrowed, and he quickly pulled out his sweatshirt from his bag.

"Here, Alice." he said, placing the coat around her shoulders. "You'll get sick if you don't warm yourself up."

Alice clutched the jacket tightly, holding it close. Its warmth surrounded her, finally relieving her off the icy cold air the bus carried. Snuggling into it, Alice smiled back up at Peter. "Thank you."

The white-haired man grinned widely down at the girl, nodding. "Of course. Anything for you, Alice."

The maiden's eyebrow quirked, but she continued to smile back up at him. _Anything for me…?_

Julius glared at the two, quickly turning his attention away. He felt two bumps at his arm, and glanced over, frowning as Ace and Boris winked repeatedly.

"What are you doing?" he demanded in a stern, hushed whisper so as not to be heard by the couple across from him.

"Aren't you going to make a move?" Boris suggested, tilting his chin towards Alice.

"How does he know?" Julius demanded in annoyance, pointing to the pink-haired teen.

"I told him." Ace answered simply. Julius groaned, palming himself.

"Come on. I could've guessed it in my sleep, clock man." Boris whispered, grinning widely. "You're obvious."

"Apparently not obvious enough for her." the blunette said with an exhausted sigh, sparing a glance towards the female. She and Peter smiled fondly at each other, speaking small talk. She looked… happy.

"My sister's an idiot, but we can fix that!" Ace assured him, slapping his shoulder blade. Julius winced, glaring.

"It must run in the family." he spat. Ace simply laughed.

"So how do you plan to get her?" Boris inquired, resting his chin in his palm boredly, his gaze straying out the window. He barely looked interested.

"…I haven't planned that far ahead yet." the blunette confessed, glaring at the floor of the bus.

"That's why I'm here for you, man!" Ace insisted, slinging a casual arm around his friend's shoulders. Julius narrowed his cobalt orbs, shrugging him off. "I'll take care of everything- just follow my lead."

"Last time I followed your lead, we both nearly drowned." the clockmaker deadpanned, annoyed. Ace smiled, shrugging it off.

"Don't worry- I have a backfire free plan now." the brunette said determinedly, fist pumping. "We still have the flowers, remember?"

Julius nodded, recalling the painted flowers. He was sure he didn't want to know where Ace hid it. Any hiding place Ace kept was sure to mean nothing but trouble.

"What good are flowers?" the blunette argued lowly, his cold stare reverting to the window. The hotel was nearing; they would be boarding off soon. "You can give any girl flowers."

"But these are special flowers!" Ace objected childishly, red eyes wide and innocent. Julius was not amused.

"And how are they special?" he demanded.

"I picked them myself!" the knight proclaimed with a goofy grin. Julius glowered.

The bus screeched to a halt then; the tires resting at a stop in front of the glamorous resort. Peter gentlemanly helped Alice to her feet, smiling all the while as he led the shivering girl out of the bus and into the warm, moist summer air. Ace and Boris exchanged sly grins as Julius glared ahead, following glumly behind them. Pierce scurried on after his cousin, trying to catch up.

"Okay, the flowers aren't special." Ace complied, the bouquet suddenly back in hand. "But they'll be special to her."

The blunette looked away, his gaze cast towards the trio ahead. Alice walked between Pierce and Peter, their silhouettes cast in black in contrast against the oncoming sunset. She looked genuinely… happy, from what he could see of her expression. It saddened him. But wasn't her happiness supposed to make him happy?

"…Fine. What do you have in mind?" the clock man demanded with an exhausted sigh, bowing his head almost in shame of such an agreement.

Ace grinned widely, as did Boris. Those eyes… they were all too familiar to Julius. A thoughtful glint… a clever glint.

A plotting glint.

Swinging their arms around the elder man's neck, Julius glared at the two, not enjoying their devious smirks. Ace seemed to be enjoying this more than he should.

"We start… tonight."

* * *

**Plan A…again: Jealously Pimpin'**

Disney's Hollywood Studios. Usually a calm, fun, family-oriented park with the hustle and bustle of corkscrew rollercoasters and enchanting parades. Then again, no park was ever safe when a certain brown-haired male came into the picture.

"So _how_ is this plan supposed to work exactly?" Julius deadpanned, raising a skeptical eyebrow at his energetic friend.

"Just wait here, and let me go get some babes." Ace assured him with a wide, playful grin.

Julius's eyes bulged. "_What? _!"

"How are you so sure you'll get them?" Boris remarked.

Ace laughed, gesturing towards himself. "Guys.. It's _me_ we're talking about! I'll be right back!"

"Wow. We got here fast." Alice remarked as they walked down the lit-up streets of the movie magic park. Gift shops lined each of their sides, displaying Mickey Mouse-related fashionable clothing and souvenirs. A large, oversized sorcerer hat rested in the midst of it all, the yellow strands around it sparkling like magic.

"The boat ride was short, wasn't it?" Peter agreed kindly, smiling down at the brunette; one arm draped around her shoulders. The maiden barely noticed this touch, but at least she allowed his arm to remain, and that's what meant the most to him in the end.

"Can we go on that? Please, Alice-chan? Peta-chan?" Pierce asked excitedly, interrupting the two as he pointed straight ahead towards The Great Movie Ride. His green orb stared up at her like a small child. The female smiled.

"I don't see-" she began, but Peter quickly interrupted.

"Of course not!" the white-haired man argued, boring annoyed, deadly holes into his cousin. "My Alice would much rather go on something exciting than such a boring, germ-infested attraction like _that_. Right, Alice?"

"Actually, Peter, it looked kind of fun…" Alice admitted, smiling awkwardly up at the man. "I was going to ask earlier, but…"

"O-Of course! You need to rest your feet after all. We've been running around all day! You must be exhausted!" Peter exclaimed, keeping a bright smile towards the teen as he rushed them towards the starry entrance; a little too eager for Alice's comfort.

"P-Peter, not so fast…!" Alice objected, trying to keep up with the man's fast pace. Did he take track or something? !

"Hey, Alice!" A new voice broke in, causing the teens to come to a sudden halt. Alice glanced back curiously, recognizing her brother's voice, while Peter glared behind.

Alice really wished she hadn't looked.

Was that… Julius? Indeed, it was!

Sweet, kind Julius stood in the midst of the street; his face beat red. Surrounding him were several teenage women, fawning over his hair, his arms… him in general. A blonde girl ran her fingers through his hair, grinning mischievously as a silver-haired woman babbled at his side. Redheads squealed, and brunettes gushed. Julius stood uncomfortably between the woman, shifting his weight from side to side uneasily.

"Is that… _Julius?_" Alice demanded, blinking in astonishment at the site. Boris laughed, popping literally out of nowhere. Pierce squeaked, diving behind Peter.

"Looks like the clock man finally got some babes. Maybe he belongs here, eh, Alice?" the pink-haired teen joked, elbowing his cousin lightly in the shoulder. Alice smiled awkwardly.

"He's… certainly become a center of attention." she admitted, feeling rather speechless. "I thought he hated the spotlight."

"He looks like a pimp to me." Peter spat bluntly, glaring at the blunette.

Alice blinked, looking up at her newfound friend. "Pimp? Julius?"

"Doesn't that disgust you at all? He's allowing all those women to fawn over and toy with him… and in public! It's entirely indecent, and ignorant to you!" Peter exclaimed, gesturing towards the blunette as if he were a disease.

"How is it ignorant to me?" Alice asked, feeling confused.

The white-haired man turned his attention to the maiden, his expression baffled; as if the answer was obvious. "Because he doesn't need any other woman. You're the most beautiful thing here."

Eyelashes disguised teal eyes for a brief, uncertain moment as Alice stared up into the elder man's crimson eyes blankly, disbelieving her ears. Barely capturing her voice, timidly, she began, "Peter…?"

"Peta-chan! Peta-chan, the ride!" Pierce whined, tugging on Peter's sleeve. The white-haired man glared down at the redhead, but took a sharp breath, attempting to calm himself for the girl in front of him.

"Shall we go?" Peter asked, offering an arm to the girl in front of him; a kind, smile on his face. Alice hesitantly took his arm, nodding softly as he led her to the gate.

Boris glanced between the two nervously, quickly shaking his head at Ace and Julius. "Abort, guys! Mission abort!"

"Hmm? What's wrong? Where's Alice?" Ace asked, grinning a little as he added, "Is she jealous yet?"

"Opposite effect. Peter made Julius out to be a pimp." Boris explained, glancing over at the blunette. "…Looking at him, the rabbit was kind of right."

"Aww. I was sure it would work." Ace said with a pout.

"I knew this was a stupid idea." Julius argued, having overheard the men and attempting to pry the women off. When they refused, he glared and said coldly, "I have a girlfriend."

Sulking, the women walked off, allowing the man to group back up with his friends. Glaring at Ace, he demanded, "Have anymore bright ideas?"

"Who would I be if I didn't?" Ace answered with a hearty laugh, swinging his arm around his buddy's neck. Julius wrinkled his nose, shrugging it off.

"And what do you suppose we do now?"

Ace smirked. "Plan B."

* * *

**Plan B: Bella Notte**

"And how am I supposed to believe this will work?" Julius demanded in annoyance, glaring at his friend as the group was seated in Mama Melrose's, He sat uncomfortably next to Alice and Ace, barely able to maintain a whisper kept from the maiden's ears. Peter sat across from Alice, keeping a healthy conversation with the girl while Boris tormented Pierce on his left.

"Just trust me, it will." Ace assured with a wink, but it certainly wasn't something that gave Julius anymore confidence than he had last time.

"So Julius… about earlier…" Alice began. Her speech was abruptly cut off by a young woman with long black hair and a raised eyebrow.

"Can I help you?" she asked, tapping her pen impatiently on her bill pad.

"One big pasta for these guys." Ace said immediately, gesturing towards Julius and Alice. "Pizza and coke for the rest."

"Sure, whatever." the waitress replied, jotting the lists down before leaving.

"I didn't want pizza." Peter argued, glaring at the idiot male. Ace grinned shamelessly.

"Oops. Sorry, man. Should've said so." he answered. Peter gritted his teeth in irritation.

"Don't let him get to you. My brother's a tragic case. He was born without a brain." Alice said sarcastically, raising a skeptical eyebrow at her happy-go-lucky sibling.

"I can see." Peter agreed, glaring coldly at the brunette. Ace shrugged.

"Here's your meals." the waitress said, settling the plates out. "Enjoy."

"Ace, why'd you only order one pasta?" Alice asked in confusion, neither her nor Julius touching in.

"It's the size of your head. I don't think you're going to eat it by yourself." Ace teased, reaching over to tap her nose. Alice wrinkled her nose in annoyance, picking up her fork with a sigh.

"Are you okay with sharing, Julius?" she asked, glancing up at the man. She knew how conservative he could be. Julius spared a glance with Ace who nudged him on, and sighed, nodding.

"Perfectly." he answered, taking a bite.

Alice glanced at him curiously but shrugged, taking a bite as well. "This looks pretty big. I don't know if we'll be able to finish it just the two of us."

"I can eat some if you want." Peter immediately offered. "I was in the mood for pasta anyways."

"You wouldn't mind sharing?" Alice asked, feeling a little embarrassed. It was stupid Ace's fault! He should know better than to order for strangers! Peter nodded, smiling at the girl, holding up his own fork. "Of course not." _I would rather you eat by yourself than with this germ anyways._

Alice grinned, and the trio continued on the pasta- the men less satisfied than the woman. Ace watched them cautiously, quickly nudging his pal when he spotted a long noodle. Here was his chance!

Julius glanced at the noodle, quickly scooping it up; not quite paying attention while he was eating. Neither was the other person also sharing the noodle.

Their faces inching closer, but neither really looking until.

_Smooch!_

Peter and Julius stared at each other for what seemed like forever; both of their faces bursting into a shade of bright red. Their lips had locked for the briefest of moments, and both quickly sat back in their seats, speechless.

"Why you…" Peter finally began, his teeth grinding against each other in pure rage.

Julius couldn't even find his voice. He was too speechless; too disgusted. He had but nothing to say other than the silence that cloaked them.

"Hmm?" Alice glanced back at the men, having been talking with a woman nearby; too busy caught up in her conversation to have noticed the action that just took place. "Is everything alright?"

A frightened and shocked Pierce opened his mouth to speak- as did an eager Ace- but Julius and Peter clamped their hands over their mouths, glaring at their laps. "Nothing." they replied in unison, their voices unusually shrill. "Fine."

Ace blinked at the two, but shrugged, thinking nothing more of it.

"And what do you suppose we do now?" Julius hissed to Ace, fed up with all this nonsense.

Ace scratched the back of his head. "The only thing we can do."

"And that is?" Monrey deadpanned, folding his arms across his chest.

"Plan C. Kiss the Girl."

* * *

***pant pant dead* ABOUT TIME THIS CAME OUT! DX I know, you all hate me by now. |||OTL I'M SO SORRY! I never thought Spring would get so busy. D8 I'll be honest, if EarthRiddle hadn't helped me out so much on my fanfics, these things wouldn't be out for another few months, so credit and thanks goes to EarthRiddle. ILU HON. Maybe one day I won't fail at updating like I do now. X'DDD**

***tosses clock plushies to those who guessed right***

**Previous Answer: The Princess and the Frog**

**Good luck on this, kids. ;D Next prize is… *digs in ancient old backpack***

**Black: HEY BITCH! WHEN ARE YOU UPDATING GOF! WHAT THE HELL WERE JULIUS AND ACE DOING? !**

**O.o…Not you. *shoves back in***

**Black: DON'T MUFFLE ME OUT, WHORE!**

**|||OTL …I guess next prize are Black Joker plushies. Yay.**


	16. Kiss The Girl

**16. Kiss the Girl**

Was this the end, or just the beginning? Julius couldn't tell as Ace led the small group through the bustling crowd in the Magic Kingdom, climbing the vast stairs to the train station on Main Street USA. Dusk had begun to fall, and a purple horizon was spread across the not-so-cloudy sky. They squeezed between vacationers in Town Square, making their way to the thin green gate by the railroad station. Peter recognized the area at once, recalling the moment he'd caught Alice on the street below on one of their earlier encounters.

"This better work this time, Ace, or so help me…" Julius warned through gritted teeth, huddled beside his friend in front of the gate. Ace laughed.

"It will, it will~." He waved off his friend's concern, glancing over towards his younger sister. Alice stood close to Peter, the white-haired man exclaiming excitedly about something Alice found interesting.

"Are you sure it's alright to be leaving those two alone?" Boris asked, sneaking up beside Ace with a raised eyebrow.

"They're fine, they're fine." The red-eyed man assured, though he was not precisely assured himself. It was then he noticed they were missing one of their tag-alongs. "Actually, go look for Pierce."

"Why?"

"So he distracts her." Ace replied, pointing to his sister. Boris gave a quick salute, his pink hair bobbing as he rushed back down the stairs. Turning to Julius, Ace continued, "Now here's the plan…"

The sun was lowering considerably, a pinkish-gold glow settling over the Magic Kingdom briefly before a dark blue threatened to overlap it. The fireworks would be starting when the sun chose to settle beyond the horizon.

"It looks like the fireworks are going to start soon." Alice noticed, leaning on the green rails.

Peter looked up at the sky, nodding. "In a few minutes."

The young brunette glanced over at her brother and friend to inform them, but stopped, tilting her head at the huddling dup. "What are they doing?" Peter followed her gaze, raising an annoyed eyebrow at the two.

"They're gay." He replied bluntly. Alice looked up at him, baffled.

"What?"

Peter gestured toward the men, answering as though it'd been obvious. "Can't you see the way those two are huddled together? They're gay and too ashamed to admit it."

Alice laughed. "That's ridiculous! Julius is not..." But she caught herself, peeking over at the two again. They were acting rather strange, and her brother was always a little too close to the blunette. Could it be…? "…Is he?"

"It appears so." The white haired man insisted, returning his attention to the oncoming fireworks display. Alice gazed at the men a little longer, but eventually looked onto Cinderella Castle.

Audio played loudly over the Magic Kingdom, informing the night's guests of the display to come. A wild, white light whirled up into the sky, marking the beginning of the show. Alice watched in wonder beside Peter, her eyes lighting up at the bright colors.

"It's beautiful." She whispered to herself. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and quickly looked up, surprised to see Peter gently pulling her against his side.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you." He replied with a smile.

"Peter…"

"Ack, your chance is slipping by here." Ace whispered to Julius.

"Well what do I do?" Julius whispered back eyes on the female brunette. She and Peter's lips were moving closer. His chance was slipping away.

"Go get her, bro!" Ace sang, pushing the blunette rather roughly into Alice.

"Gah!" Julius wobbled forward unexpectedly, falling into Alice.

To her company's dismay, Alice snapped out of it and turned towards Julius in worry, gripping his arms tightly to hold him steady. "Julius! Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Ace…" he begun to growl, slowly lifting himself to his feet with his friend's help.

"Is there something you wanted?" Peter asked sharply, his crimson eyes narrowing into slits at the intruder.

"Ah, erm, yes. I wanted to speak with Alice." He said, his gaze never wavering from hers.

"Mhm?" she tilted her head, looking up at him with wide teal eyes. This only increased his already nervous body.

"Ah, well, this isn't the best time or place," he started, talking too fast. "But I have to tell you…" He sucked in a deep, uneven breath. "Alice, I lo—"

"ALIIIIICEEEEE!" A loud cry interrupted Monrey, two small arms winding around the brunette in a clingy hug. A small red haired boy sobbed in her back, his voice whining. "Boris keeps bullying meee!"

A bob of pink hair popped up behind him. The punk boy shrugged. "It's not bullying. We were just playing a friendly game of tag. Right, boys?"

Dee and Dum trotted up behind him, their little heads nodding. "Right! We were only having fun!"

"You three are monsters." Alice mumbled under her breath, patting Pierce's head gently. Peter glared. "Stop bullying this poor boy! He hasn't done anything to you."

"But it's so much fun." The trio replied in unison. Pierce let out a small whimper.

"Peta! Save me!" he cried, startling the man by jumping into his arms.

"What? Save yourself! And stop touching me! You'll infest me with your germs!" Peter shouted, dropping the young boy.

"But Petaaa!" Pierce whined.

Alice giggled at the scene. _They can be so cute… _"Oh!" She turned quickly. "I'm sorry! You wanted to say something Juli-?" She stopped, confused. Julius and Ace were gone and out of sight. "Julius…"

_I wonder what he wanted to tell me._

* * *

"I had a lot of fun today." Alice said with a large grin. She and Peter sat in the empty monorail together, watching the lake beside them glisten in the moonlight. The park had closed, and Boris was preoccupied chasing poor Pierce. She never did figure out where Ace and Julius had gone.

_Gay… _The word rang through her ears. Could Peter's deduction be true? It seemed to make sense. _They've been clinging to each other the whole trip… And they've been acting really weird. They've run off by themselves more than once, and just a little bit ago Julius wanted to talk to me… Did he want to ask me if he could date Ace? _She thought to herself. The idea was shocking, but convincing.

"Alice?"

"Huh?" the brunette snapped her head up quickly, her eyes meeting Peter's. "S-Sorry. My mind kind of ran off… Did you say something?"

"It's alright, my sweet." He smiled. "I said I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I had a lot of fun, too."

Alice grinned, turning her head to stare out the window. Nighttime overwhelmed the sky, and she could just make out the color-changing castle in the distance. There was a long silence between the two, until Peter finally spoke up.

"You know Alice, I'm having a lot of fun with you." Peter confessed. There was something about the look he gave that had a blush forming on her cheeks. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time. I'm glad I met you."

"I'm happy I met you too, Peter." Alice replied quietly.

It came fast. She wasn't expecting it. One moment Peter was in front of her, and the next his lips were pressing against hers, his tongue prodding against her lip until they parted, giving him access to kiss her fully. Alice wasn't sure what to do in all of this. Her head spun, her eyes remained wide open in shock.

Peter pulled away slowly, and there was nothing Alice could do but stare.

"Welcome to the Contemporary resort." The monorail audio said loudly, its large white doors swooshing.

The couple stared at each other for a moment before Alice hurriedly walked out, Peter right behind her.

"I'll… I'll see you later." Though she didn't look up, Peter could see Alice's bright red face.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern. "Did I did it wrong?"

Her face flushed deeper, her cheeks a bright red in embarrassment. Her voice screeched at a high, mousey pitch. "No! You did fine! I'm just tired, night!"

"Alice!" Peter reached out for her, but Alice was already running back to her room.

* * *

Julius paced uneasily back and forth in the hotel room, his head low in shame.

"Aww, don't be so beat up over it, Julie~" Ace sang from his bed, running a hand through his messy brown locks. "We'll get her tomorrow. We still have a while here."

"That's the point." He sighed, plopping down on his own bed. "I should've told her before all this."

"Don't be so angsty, Julius. We'll ust put another plan in motion. It's not the end of the world." Ace assured, standing up. He made his way over to the dresser, pulling out some swimtrunks.

"Where are you going?"

"The pool." Ace tossed a towel over his shoulder. "I'll be back later."

"Don't drown." Julius deadpanned, looking away at his friend crudely changed in front of him Ace laughed.

"I'll try not to." He replied, stepping out into the hallway.

Julius sighed, prepared to rest his eyes when the sound of the hotel room door clicked open. Assuming it was Ace, he sarcastically said, "What'd you forget now? Your kiss goodbye?"

"What?" a shrill voice replied.

Julius shot upright in bed, quickly noticing his mistake. "Alice! I'm sorry, I thought you were Ace…"

"It's fine." Alice replied quietly, trying to hide her beat red face under her hair. She scurried to the dresser, pulling out her nightdress and undergarments. "I'm going to take a shower real quick."

"Are you alright?" Julius asked, noticing her bright red face.

"Of course!" she answered, too quickly. "Everything's fine, don't worry about me! HAHA! …I'll be right back." Before Julius had a chance to object, she was already in the bathroom with the shower running.

* * *

"Are you feeling better now?" Julius asked, glancing up from the TV. Alice, now in her nightdress, ran a towel through her long hair, sitting beside him on the bed.

"A little." She mumbled, running a brush through her hair.

"What happened after I left earlier?"

Alice nearly choked. "Wh-What makes you think something happened?"

"That." He answered. Alice stared at her lap. "Alice?"

"…kissedme." She mumbled.

"I can't hear you." Julius frowned.

"He kissed me!" she cried. Julius felt his heart drop.

"He… kissed…?" Words didn't form in his dry mouth. She nodded. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Did you like it?"

"Kind of…" she replied, exhausted. "I don't know! I don't know _how _to feel about it. It felt good… but I barely know him! We just met last week! This is going really fast."

_She's doubting. _Julius thought. _Ace has done nothing but screw up my chance. Maybe now I can…_

"Alice… There's something I need to talk to you about." He said slowly. His heart was hammering loudly in his chest; his stomach dropping, hands clammy and throat dry. He was a nervous mess.

"I'm all ears." Alice replied, relieved. Anything to get off the kissing topic.

"There's someone I like." He continued talking incredibly slow, allowing the words to sink in. "There's something I'm in love with. This person is… wonderful. And I—"

"I think I know what you're getting at." Alice interrupted.

"You do?"

Alice smiled softly. "I do. And I think this person loves you, too."

Was his heart skipping beats? He couldn't tell. He felt inflated. "T-They do?" Alice grinned, nodding. Julius took a sigh of relief, immediately pulling her tightly into his arms. "You don't know what this means to me…"

"So when are you going to tell him?" she asked, head propped up against his shoulder. "Or does he already know?"

"Huh?" _He?_

"Ace. Did you tell him yet?" she questioned curiously.

…

…

…

"_Ace?" _he cried, jaw dropping in shock. What on Earth made her think he loved Ace?

Alice laughed. "You don't have to hide it! I see the way you two look at each other. It's so cute. And really romantic." She grinned. "I'm sure he loves you, too."

"N-No, Alice, you're completely missing the point—" Julius argued, but she cut him off.

"Oh! You didn't tell him yet, did you?" the brunette exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. "Don't worry! I'll keep it a secret. In fact, I'll help hook you up with him!"

"_WHAT?_ Alice, that's not-!"

"You wait here, I'm going to go think up a plan!" Alice grinned excitedly, rushing out from the room. Julius just stared after her, his arm outstretched, jaw dropped, eyes practically bulging from his sockets.

_What the hell did I just get myself into…?_

* * *

**Haha… hi guys. Update. After… over a year… wow. Oops. Haha. OTL Sorry to keep you all waiting. Hopefully this extra long fanservicey chapter will change your mind? Maybe? No? Oh well. I tried. Haven't been in the mood to write fanfic in a long while. Kind of getting back into HnKnA again though, so I figured I'd update for a change.  
**


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